http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=132.160.54.160&feedformat=atomWikitravel - User contributions [en]2016-12-10T06:22:20ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.26.3http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago&diff=1718693Chicago2011-07-21T04:20:14Z<p>132.160.54.160: There are many revert warriors afoot. Dang-nabbit!</p>
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<div>{{printDistricts}}<br />
[[Image:Skyline from Millenium Park.jpg|thumb|350px|print=lead|Chicago's skyline viewed from Millennium Park]]<br />
<br />
'''Chicago''' [http://choosechicago.com/] is where blues went electric and jazz found its swing. As the hub of the [[Midwest (United States of America)|Midwest]], Chicago is close to everything and far from ordinary. Butcher of hogs and believer in progress, it is one of the world's great cities, and yet the metropolitan luxuries of theater, shopping, and fine dining have barely put a dent in real Midwestern friendliness. It's a city with a swagger that not even Ferris Bueller could tame. If anything, he added to the swagger. Danke Schoen! <br />
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The [[Chicago skyline guide|Chicago skyline]] calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and [[Loop Art Tour|public art]], and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world. Locals love to share their opinion of where to find the funniest new comedian, coldest brew, or best seats for the game. In fact, Chicago locals are well known for their pride.<br />
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With a wealth of iconic sights and neighborhoods to explore, you can blow through 'burbs like the Blues Brothers without ever seeing the end of sweet lady Chicago. Dress warm in the winter, and prepare to cover a lot of ground: the meaning of Chicago is only found in movement, so hop on the L and ride! <br />
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==Districts==<br />
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Many visitors never make it past the attractions downtown, but you haven't truly seen Chicago until you have ventured out into the neighborhoods. Chicagoans understand their city by splitting it into large &quot;sides&quot; to the north, west, and south of the central business district (the Loop). Chicagoans also tend to identify strongly with their neighborhood, reflecting real differences in culture and place throughout the city. Rivalries between the North and South Sides run particularly deep, while people from the West Side are free agents in critical issues like baseball loyalty.<br />
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{{Regionlist|<br />
<br />
regionmap=Integrated Chicago districts map.png |<br />
regionmaptext=Districts of Chicago |<br />
regionmapsize=401px |<br />
<br />
region1name=Downtown |<br />
region1color=#b569b5 |<br />
region1items=[[Chicago/Loop|The Loop]], [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] |<br />
region1description=''The'' center of Chicago for work and play, with shopping, skyscrapers, big theaters, and the city's most famous travel sights |<br />
<br />
region2name=North Side |<br />
region2color=#a4a460 |<br />
region2items=[[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Boystown]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]] |<br />
region2description=Upscale neighborhoods with entertainment aplenty in storefront theaters and the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, along with a ''ton'' of bars and clubs, and one of the largest LGBT communities in the nation |<br />
<br />
region3name=South Side |<br />
region3color=#459745 |<br />
region3items=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport-Chinatown]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]] |<br />
region3description= The historic Black Metropolis, brainy Hyde Park and the University of Chicago, Chinatown, the White Sox, soul food, and the real Chicago blues |<br />
<br />
region4name=West Side |<br />
region4color=#67b7b7 |<br />
region4items=[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan Square]], [[Chicago/Near West Side|Greektown]], [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] |<br />
region4description=Ethnic enclaves, dive bars, and hipsters abound on the fashionably rough side of town |<br />
<br />
region5name=Far North Side |<br />
region5color=#487db8 |<br />
region5items=[[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]], [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]], [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] |<br />
region5description=Ultra-hip and laid-back, with miles of beaches and some of the most vibrant immigrant communities in the country |<br />
<br />
region6name=Far West Side |<br />
region6color=#a5c077 |<br />
region6items=[[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Garfield Park]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Austin]] |<br />
region6description=So far off the beaten tourist track you might not find your way back, but that's OK given all the great food, a couple of top blues clubs, and enormous parks. |<br />
<br />
region7name=Southwest Side |<br />
region7color=#c9815e |<br />
region7items=[[Chicago/Southwest Side|Back of the Yards]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Marquette Park]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Midway]] |<br />
region7description=Former home to the massive meatpacking district of the Union Stockyards, huge Polish and Mexican neighborhoods, and Midway Airport |<br />
<br />
region8name=Far Northwest Side |<br />
region8color=#a76767 |<br />
region8items=[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Avondale]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Irving Park]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Portage Park]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Jefferson Park]] |<br />
region8description=Polish Village, historic homes and theaters, and some undiscovered gems in the neighborhoods near [[O'Hare International Airport]] |<br />
<br />
region9name=Far Southeast Side |<br />
region9color=#8888dc |<br />
region9items=[[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Historic Pullman]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|East Side]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|South Chicago]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Hegewisch]] |<br />
region9description=The giant, industrial underbelly of Chicago, home to one large tourist draw: the historic Pullman District |<br />
<br />
region10name=Far Southwest Side |<br />
region10color=#37a782 |<br />
region10items=[[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Beverly]], [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Mount Greenwood]] |<br />
region10description=Ireland in Chicago: authentic Irish pubs, brogues, galleries, and the odd haunted castle, all extremely far from the city center |<br />
<br />
}}<br />
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===Downtown===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Loop|The Loop]]''' — the historic and business center of Chicago, the financial center of the Midwest, and the home of magnificent architecture, parks, and public art<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]''' — a ritzy shopping district, home to the Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, and the Gold Coast, and many hotels<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]''' — a few big draws, including Printer's Row, the Museum Campus, McCormick Place, and Soldier Field<br />
===North Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park-Old Town]]''' — a wealthy neighborhood with museums, mansions, upscale boutiques, the Lincoln Park Zoo, and some of the city's top dining and theaters<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview-North Center]]''' — entertainment aplenty with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, storefront theaters, and '''Boystown''', the center of Chicago's Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender culture<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]''' — a neighborhood with more than its fair share of Chicago history, Southeast Asian dining, Swedish and lesbian-friendly Andersonville, and a thriving entertainment district of edgy comedy and historic rock and jazz clubs<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/North Lincoln|North Lincoln]]''' — fun shopping at Lincoln Square, great Middle Eastern food on Kedzie and Korean food along Seoul Drive<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]''' — thriving multi-ethnic communities, miles of laid-back beaches, Loyola University, and the totally Indian Devon Avenue<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]]''' — Polish Village, historic homes and theaters, and some undiscovered gems in the neighborhoods near [[O'Hare International Airport]]<br />
===South Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]]''' — the University of Chicago's Gothic campus, brainy Hyde Park, old mansions aplenty, and great museums<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]''' — the historic &quot;Black Metropolis&quot; is a mecca of African-American History, historic site of the Chicago Black Renaissance, and home to the nation's first museum of African-American History in the enormous Washington Park<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport-Chinatown]]''' — home to Chicago's thriving Chinatown, the White Sox, and the city's South Side Irish power brokers<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]]''' — one of the country's true centers of African-American culture, with great soul food, the best BBQ in the North, and unparalleled blues clubs on offer<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]''' — Former home to the massive meatpacking district of the Union Stockyards, huge Polish and Mexican neighborhoods, and Midway Airport<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]''' — a vast and weird section of the city home to most of the city's heavy industry and the historic planned Pullman community of labor history fame<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Far Southwest Side]]''' — Ireland in Chicago: authentic Irish pubs, brogues, galleries, and the odd haunted castle, all extremely far from the city center<br />
===West Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]''' — lots of attractions in one area: dining at Little Italy and Greektown, clubs and galleries in the West Loop, the Chicago Bulls, and what remains of Maxwell Street<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]]''' — Chicago's hippest bar and restaurant scene plus eccentric shopping right next to Ukrainian Village, a neighborhood of hipsters and the Orthodox<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan-Bucktown]]''' — a neighborhood riding on a wave of gentrification spillover from Wicker Park with some great dive bars and wide-ranging Latin-American dining<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]]''' — incredible Mexican food everywhere you look, Czech architecture, two thriving arts districts, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and a Little Italy not overrun by visitors<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far West Side|Far West Side]]''' — so far off the beaten tourist track you might not find your way back, but that's OK given all the great food, a couple of top blues clubs, enormous parks, and the botanical gardens of the Garfield Park Conservatory<br />
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==Understand==<br />
Chicago was known as a fine place to find a '''wild onion''' if you were a member of the Potawatomi tribe, who lived in this area of [[Illinois]] before European settlers arrived. It was mostly swamps, prairie and mud long past the establishment of Fort Dearborn in 1803 and incorporation as a town in 1833. It could be argued that nature never intended for there to be a city here; brutal winters aside, it took civil engineering projects of unprecedented scale to establish working sewers, reverse the flow of the river to keep it out of the city's drinking supply, and stop buildings from sinking back into the swamps — and that was just the first few decades.<br />
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By 1871, the reckless growth of the city was a sight to behold, full of noise, Gothic lunacy, and bustling commerce. But on October 8th, Mrs. O'Leary's cow reportedly knocked over a lantern in the crowded immigrant quarters in the West Side, and the '''Great Chicago Fire''' began. It quickly spread through the dry prairie, killing 300 and destroying virtually the entire city. The stone Water Tower in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] is the most famous surviving structure. But the city seized this destruction as an opportunity to rebuild bigger than before, giving canvas for several architects and urban planners who would go on to become legends of modern architecture.<br />
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At the pinnacle of its rebirth and the height of its newfound powers, Chicago was known as '''The White City'''. Cultures from around the world were summoned to the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition, to bear witness to the work of Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, and the future itself. Cream of Wheat, soft drinks, street lights and safe electricity, the fax machine, and the Ferris Wheel bespoke the colossus now resident on the shores of Lake Michigan. <br />
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As every road had once led to Rome, every train led to Chicago. Carl Sandburg called Chicago the '''Hog Butcher for the World''' for its cattle stockyards and place on the nation's dinner plate. Sandburg also called it the '''City of the Big Shoulders''', noting the tall buildings in the birthplace of the skyscraper — and the city's &quot;lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.&quot; But Chicago is a city in no short supply of nicknames. Fred Fisher's 1922 song (best known in Frank Sinatra's rendition) calls it '''That Toddlin' Town''', where &quot;on State Street, that great street, they do things they don't do on Broadway.&quot; It's also referenced by countless blues standards like '''Sweet Home Chicago'''.<br />
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Chicago is also known as '''The Second City''', which refers to its rebuilding after the fire — the current city is literally the second Chicago, after the one that disappeared in 1871. The moniker has stuck, in no small part due to its popular association with the city's long-held former position as the United States' second largest city. And many know the nickname from Chicago's great comedy theater in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]].<br />
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Chicago's history with corruption is legendary. During the Prohibition era, Chicago's criminal world, emblemized by names like Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, and later Sam Giancana, practically ran the city. The local political world had scarcely more legitimacy in a town where voter turnout was highest among the dead and their pets, and precinct captains spread the word to &quot;vote early, vote often.&quot; Even Sandburg acknowledged the relentless current of vice than ran under the surface of the optimistic city.<br />
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Today, Chicago is known as '''The Windy City'''. Walking around town, you might suspect that Chicago got this nickname from the winds off Lake Michigan, which shove through the downtown corridors with intense force. But the true origin of the saying comes from politics. Some say it may have been coined by rivals like [[Cincinnati]] and [[New York City|New York]] as a derogatory reference to the Chicagoan habit of rabid boosterism and endless political conventions. Others say that the term originated from the fact that Chicago politicians change their minds &quot;as often as the wind.&quot; <br />
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Finally, the city is known as the '''The City That Works''', as promoted by longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley, which refers to Chicago's labor tradition, the long hours worked by its residents, and its willingness to tackle grand civic projects. Daley and his father, former Mayor Richard J. Daley, ruled the city for decades in what can only be described as a benevolent dictatorship; as other Midwestern manufacturing cities like [[Cleveland]] and [[Detroit]] went into decline, Chicago thrived, transforming from a city of stockyards and factories to a financial giant at the forefront of modern urban design. But with Richard M. retiring in 2011, Chicagoans face the rare prospect of a Daley-less city government, and will have to decide all over again if democracy can work in this town.<br />
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While the city has many great attractions downtown, most Chicagoans live and play outside of the central business district. To understand Chicago, travelers must venture away from the Loop and Michigan Avenue and out into the vibrant neighborhoods, to soak up the local nightlife, sample the wide range of fantastic dining, and see the sights Chicagoans care about most — thanks to the city's massive public transit system, every part of Chicago is only slightly off the most beaten path.<br />
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<br />
===Climate===<br />
{{Climate<br />
| units = Imperial<br />
| janhigh = 29<br />
| febhigh = 34<br />
| marhigh = 45<br />
| aprhigh = 58<br />
| mayhigh = 70<br />
| junhigh = 80<br />
| julhigh = 84<br />
| aughigh = 82<br />
| sephigh = 75<br />
| octhigh = 63<br />
| novhigh = 48<br />
| dechigh = 35<br />
| janlow = 13<br />
| feblow = 18<br />
| marlow = 28<br />
| aprlow = 39<br />
| maylow = 48<br />
| junlow = 57<br />
| jullow = 63<br />
| auglow = 62<br />
| seplow = 54<br />
| octlow = 42<br />
| novlow = 31<br />
| declow = 20<br />
| janprecip = 1.7<br />
| febprecip = 1.4<br />
| marprecip = 2.7<br />
| aprprecip = 3.6<br />
| mayprecip = 3.2<br />
| junprecip = 3.8<br />
| julprecip = 3.6<br />
| augprecip = 4.1<br />
| sepprecip = 3.5<br />
| octprecip = 2.6<br />
| novprecip = 2.9<br />
| decprecip = 2.2<br />
| description = {{ForecastNOAA|Chicago|41.878644|-87.6358859}}<br />
}}<br />
[[Image:Coldchicago.jpg|300px|thumb|Insider tip: it has been known to snow in Chicago]]<br />
Weather is definitely not one of the attractions in Chicago. There's a good time to be had in any season, but it is a place where the climate has to be taken into consideration.<br />
<br />
Little known fact is despite Chicago's winters, there are more days with a maximum temperature of between 80-84F than any other five-degree range. Obscured by Chicago's ferocious winters are the heat waves of summer. The days in July and August that go above the &quot;normal&quot; are often times disgustingly hot and humid, dewpoints can be similar to those found closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Summer nights are usually reasonable, though, and you'll get a few degrees' respite along the lakefront — in the local parlance, that's &quot;cooler by the lake.&quot; <br />
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But then there are those winters. The months from December to March will see very cold temperatures, with even more bitter wind chill factors. Snow is usually limited to a handful of heavy storms per season, with a few light dustings in-between. (And a little more along the lakefront — again in the local parlance, that's &quot;lake effect snow&quot;.) Ice storms are also a risk. It's a city that's well-accustomed to these winters, though, so city services and public transportation are highly unlikely to shut down.<br />
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That said, Chicago does have a few nice months of weather. May and September are pleasant and mild; April and June are mostly fine, although thunderstorms with heavy winds can also occur suddenly. Although there may be a slight chill in the air in October, it rarely calls for more than a light coat and some days that's not even necessary. In some years, the warmth stored by the lake may prolong a pleasant autumn into November.<br />
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===Literature===<br />
Chicago literature found its roots in the city's tradition of lucid, direct journalism, lending to a strong tradition of social realism. Consequently, most notable Chicago fiction focuses on the city itself, with social criticism keeping exultation in check. Here is a selection of Chicago's most famous works about itself:<br />
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*Karen Abbott's ''Sin in the Second City'' is a recent best-seller about Chicago's vice district, the Levee, and some of the personalities involved: gangsters, corrupt politicians, and two sisters who ran the most elite brothel in town.<br />
*Nelson Algren's ''Chicago: City on the Make'' is a prose poem about the alleys, the El tracks, the neon and the dive bars, the beauty and cruelty of Chicago. It's best saved for ''after'' a trip, when at least twenty lines will have you enraptured in recognition.<br />
*Saul Bellow's ''Adventures of Augie March'' charts the long drifting life of a Jewish Chicagoan and his myriad eccentric acquaintances throughout the early 20th century: growing up in the then Polish neighborhood of [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]], cavorting with heiresses on the [[Chicago/Near North|Gold Coast]], studying at the University of Chicago, fleeing union thugs in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and taking the odd detour to hang out with Trotsky in [[Mexico]] while eagle-hunting giant iguanas on horseback. This book has legitimate claim to be ''the'' Chicago epic (for practical purposes, that means you won't finish it on the plane).<br />
*Gwendolyn Brooks' ''A Street in Bronzeville'' was the collection of poems that launched the career of the famous Chicago poetess, focused on the aspirations, disappointments, and daily life of those who lived in 1940s [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]. It is long out of print, so you'll likely need to read these poems in a broader collection, such as her ''Selected Poems''.<br />
*Sandra Cisneros' ''The House on Mango Street'' is a Mexican-American coming-of-age novel, dealing with a young Latina girl, Esperanza Cordero, growing up in the Chicago Chicano ghetto.<br />
*Theodore Dreiser's ''Sister Carrie'' is a cornerstone of the turn of the 20th century Chicago Literary Renaissance, a tale of a country girl in the big immoral city, rags-to-riches and back again.<br />
*Stuart Dybek's ''The Coast of Chicago'' is a collection of fourteen marvelous short stories about growing up in Chicago (largely in [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] and [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]]) in a style blending the gritty with the dreamlike.<br />
*John Guzlowski's ''Lightning and Ashes'' chronicles the author's experiences growing up in the immigrant and DP neighborhoods around [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]] in Chicago, talking about Jewish hardware store clerks with Auschwitz tattoos on their wrists, Polish cavalry officers who still mourned for their dead horses, and women who walked from Siberia to Iran to escape the Russians.<br />
*Erik Larson's ''Devil in the White City'' is a best-selling pop history about the 1893 Colombian Exposition; it's also about the serial killer who was stalking the city at the same time. For a straight history of the Exposition and also the workers' paradise in Pullman, try James Gilbert's excellent ''Perfect Cities: Chicago's Utopias of 1893''.<br />
*Audrey Niffenegger's ''The Time-Traveler's Wife'' is a recent love story set in Chicago nightclubs, museums, and libraries.<br />
*Mike Royko's ''Boss'' is the definitive biography of Mayor Richard J. Daley and politics in Chicago, written by the beloved late Tribune columnist. ''American Pharaoh'' (Cohen and Taylor) is a good scholarly treatment of the same subject.<br />
*Carl Sandburg's ''Chicago Poems'' is without a doubt the most famous collection of poems about Chicago by its own &quot;bard of the working class.&quot;<br />
*Upton Sinclair's ''The Jungle'' sits among the canon of both Chicago literature and US labor history for its muckraking-style depiction of the desolation experienced by Lithuanian immigrants working in the Union Stockyards on Chicago's [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]].<br />
*Richard Wright's ''Native Son'' is a classic Chicago neighborhood novel set in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] and [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] about a young, doomed, black boy hopelessly warped by the racism and poverty that defined his surroundings.<br />
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===Movies===<br />
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Chicago is America's third most prolific movie industry and a host of very Chicago-centric movies have been produced here. These are just a few:<br />
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* ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (John Hughes, 1986). The dream of the northern suburbs: to be young, clever, and loose for a day in Chicago. Ferris and friends romp through the old Loop theater district, catch a game at Wrigley Field, and enjoy the sense of invincibility that Chicago shares with its favorite sons when all is well.<br />
* ''Adventures in Babysitting'' (Chris Columbus, 1987). The flip side of Ferris Bueller — the dangers that await the suburbanite in the Loop at night, including memorable trips to lower Michigan Avenue and up close with the Chicago skyline.<br />
* ''The Blues Brothers'' (John Landis, 1980). Probably Chicago's favorite movie about itself: blues music, white men in black suits, a mission from God, the conscience that every Chicago hustler carries without question, and almost certainly the biggest car chase ever filmed.<br />
* ''The Untouchables'' (Brian De Palma, 1987). With a square-jawed screenplay by David Mamet, this is a retelling of Chicago's central fable of good vs. evil: Eliot Ness and the legendary takedown of Al Capone. No film (except perhaps ''The Blues Brothers'') has made a better use of so many Chicago locations, especially Union Station (the baby carriage), the Chicago Cultural Center (the rooftop fight), and the LaSalle Street canyon.<br />
* ''High Fidelity'' (Stephen Frears, 2000). John Cusack reviews failed relationships from high school at Lane Tech to college in Lincoln Park and muses over them in trips through Uptown, River North, all over the city on the CTA, his record store in the rock snob environs of Wicker Park, and returning at last to his record-swamped apartment in Rogers Park.<br />
* ''Batman Begins'' (Christopher Nolan, 2005) and its sequel ''The Dark Knight'' (2008). Making spectacular use of the 'L', the Chicago Board of Trade Building, Chicago skyscrapers, the Loop at night, and lower Wacker Drive, the revived action series finally sets the imposing power and intractable corruption of Gotham City where it belongs, in Chicago.<br />
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Others include Harrison Ford vs. the one-armed man in ''The Fugitive'', the CTA vs. true love in ''While You Were Sleeping'', Autobots vs. Decepticons in ''Transformers 3'', and the greatest Patrick Swayze hillbilly ninja vs. Italian mob film of all time, ''Next of Kin''.<br />
<br />
===Smoking===<br />
<br />
Smoking is prohibited by state law at all restaurants, bars, nightclubs, workplaces, and public buildings. It's also banned within fifteen feet of any entrance, window, or exit to a public place, and at CTA train stations. The fine for violating the ban can range from $100 to $250.<br />
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===Tourist Information===<br />
Chicago's visitor information centers offer maps, brochures and other information.<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Water Works Visitor Information Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;163 E Pearson Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877 244-2246&quot; url=&quot;http://explorechicago.org/city/en/travel_tools/visitor_centers.html&quot; hours=&quot;M-Th 8AM-7PM, F 8AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10AM-6PM (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day)&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;The city's main visitor information center is located on the Magnificent Mile in the historic Pumping Station, across the street from the Water Tower. In addition to extensive free visitor materials, there is a small cafe and a Hot Tix window for discount theater tickets.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;77 E Randolph St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 744-8000&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://explorechicago.org/city/en/travel_tools/visitor_centers.html&quot; hours=&quot;M-Th 8AM-7PM, F 8AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10AM-6PM (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day)&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;A centrally located place to pick up a host of useful, free materials. The Cultural Center itself makes a good first stop on your tour, with free, worthwhile art and historical exhibits throughout the year.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
==Get in==<br />
[[Image:Chicago overview map.png|thumb|400px|]]<br />
===By plane===<br />
<br />
Chicago ({{IATA|CHI}} for [[Metropolitan Area Airport Codes|all airports]]) is served by two major airports: '''O'Hare International Airport''' [http://ohare.com] and '''Midway Airport''' [http://flychicago.com/midway/midwayHomepage.shtm]. There are plenty of taxis both to and from the city center, but they are quite expensive, especially during rush hours. Expect upwards of $40 for O'Hare and $30 for Midway. CTA trains provide direct service to both larger airports for $2.25 from anywhere in the city — faster than a taxi during rush hour and a lot less expensive.<br />
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Many large hotels offer complimentary shuttle vans to one or both airports, or can arrange one for a charge ($15-25) with advance notice.<br />
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====O'Hare====<br />
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'''[[O'Hare International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|ORD}}, {{ICAO|KORD}}) is 17 miles northwest of downtown and serves many international and domestic carriers. '''United Airlines''' [http://united.com] has the largest presence here (about 50%) followed by '''American Airlines''' [http://aa.com] with about 40%. Most connecting flights for smaller cities in the Midwest run through O'Hare. It's one of the biggest airports in the world, and it has always been notorious for delays and cancellations. Unfortunately, it's too far northwest for most travelers who get stuck overnight to head into the city. As a result, there are ''plenty'' of hotels in the O'Hare area. See the [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] article for listings.<br />
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The CTA Blue Line runs between the Loop and O'Hare every 15 minutes 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. A lot of repair work has been completed on the Blue line and the trip from O'Hare to the Loop now takes 35-50 minutes. The O'Hare station is the end of the line and is essentially in the basement of O'Hare airport. Walking from the platform to the ticket counters should take 5-10 minutes for Terminals 2 or 3, slightly more for Terminal 1, and a great deal longer for the International Terminal 5 (It is necessary to take the free people mover for transfer).<br />
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====Midway====<br />
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'''[[Chicago/Southwest Side#By plane|Midway International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|MDW}}, {{ICAO|KMDW}}) is ten miles southwest of downtown. '''Southwest Airlines''' [http://southwest.com] is the largest carrier here, followed by '''AirTran''' [http://airtran.com]. If it's an option for your trip, Midway is more compact, less crowded, has fewer delays, and usually cheaper. And, of course, it's significantly closer to downtown.<br />
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The CTA Orange Line train runs between the Loop and Midway in around 25 minutes. Keep in mind that the CTA Midway Station is at the end of the Orange Line. There is an enclosed tunnel that links the station and airport but it takes approximately 10-15 minutes to walk from one to the other. There are a number of hotels clustered around Midway, too — see the [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Sleep|Southwest Side]] article for listings.<br />
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====Others====<br />
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'''Chicago Executive Airport''' ({{IATA|PWK}}, {{ICAO|KPWK}}) is nine miles north of O'Hare, serves the general and business aviation sector, and is the third busiest airport in Illinois. Approximately three hundred aircraft are based on the field and approximately 200,000 take-offs and landings occur annually. Air taxi and air charter companies such as '''Jetset Charter''' [http://www.jscharter.com] fly a variety of private charter aircraft and jets, from charter luxury Gulfstream's down to economical piston twins for small groups and individuals.<br />
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[[Milwaukee]]'s '''General Mitchell International Airport''' [http://mitchellairport.com] ({{IATA|MKE}}, {{ICAO|KMKE}}) is served by 7 Amtrak trains per day (6 on Sunday), and the Hiawatha Service has a 95% on-time rating. The trip from Chicago Union Station to Mitchell Airport Station is about one hour and 15 minutes. There are also buses from Mitchell Airport to Chicago OHare Airport.<br />
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===By bus===<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Greyhound&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;630 W Harrison St&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 408-5800&quot; url=&quot;http://greyhound.com&quot; hours=&quot;24 hours&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt; America's largest bus carrier offers service to destinations throughout the Midwest. The main terminal is near the southwestern corner of the Loop. There are secondary terminals at the CTA Red Line station at 95th/Dan Ryan and the CTA transit building (5800 N Cumberland).&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Indian Trails&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;at the Greyhound Station&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://indiantrails.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt; Frequent daily service to Michigan's Upper Peninsula via Wisconsin. Onward connections are available. Buses have Wi-Fi and power outlets.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Megabus&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;East across Canal St from Union Station&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877 462-6342&quot; url=&quot;http://megabus.com/us&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;Detroit $1-50 / Milwaukee $1-20 / Minneapolis $1-52&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Daily service across the [[Midwest]] with destinations from [[Memphis]] to [[Minneapolis]]. Buses have Wi-Fi and 110v outlets. &lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Wisconsin Coach&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;O'Hare Airport&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877-324-7767&quot; url=&quot;http://wisconsincoach.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;ORD: $26&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Offers 14 buses daily, departing every hour, from O'Hare to Southeastern Wisconsin and Milwaukee, including Milwaukee Airport.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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===By train===<br />
[[Image:Union Station steps.jpg|thumb|300px|Hold on to your baby carriages in Union Station!]]<br />
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Chicago is historically the rail hub of the entire United States. Today, '''Amtrak''' [http://amtrak.com], ☎ +1 800 872-7245, uses the magisterial '''Union Station''' (Canal St and Jackson Blvd) as the hub of its Midwestern routes, making Chicago one of the most convenient U.S. cities to visit by train, serving the majority of the passenger rail company's long-distance routes, with options from virtually every major US city. With its massive main hall, venerable history, and cinematic steps, Union Station is worth a visit even if you're not coming in by train. <br />
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Most (but not all) Metra suburban trains run from Union Station and nearby '''Ogilvie/Northwestern Station''' (Canal St and Madison St), which are west of the Loop. Some southern lines run from stations on the east side of the Loop. The suburban trains run as far as [[Kenosha]], [[Aurora]], and [[Joliet]], while the South Shore line runs through [[Indiana]] as far as [[South Bend]]. Several CTA buses converge upon the two stations, and the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] CTA trains are within walking distance.<br />
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===By car===<br />
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Chicagoans have a maddening habit of referring to some expressways by their names, not the numbers used to identify them on the signs you'll see posted on the U.S. interstate highway system, so you'll have to commit both name and number to memory. '''I-55''' (the '''Stevenson Expressway''') will take you directly from [[St. Louis]] into downtown Chicago. '''I-90/94''' ('''The Dan Ryan''') comes in from [[Indiana]] to the east (via the '''Chicago Skyway''' and '''Bishop Ford Freeway''') and from central [[Illinois]] (via '''I-57'''). '''I-90''' ('''The Kennedy''') comes in from [[Madison (Wisconsin)|Madison]] to the northwest. '''I-94''' (the '''Edens Expressway''') comes in from [[Milwaukee]] to the north, but recent roadwork has slowed traffic considerably compared to I-90. '''I-80''' will get you to the city from [[Iowa]] which neighbors Illinois to the west.<br />
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If arriving downtown from Indiana, from the south on '''I-94''' or '''I-90''', or from the north, Lake Shore Drive ('''U.S. Highway 41''') provides a scenic introduction in both directions, day or night. If arriving on '''I-55''' from the southwest, or on '''I-290''' (the '''Eisenhower Expressway''', formerly and sometimes still called '''The Congress Expressway''') from the west, the skyline may also be visible from certain clear spots, but without the shore view. It should also be noted that I-55 from the southwest and I-90 through much of northwest Indiana are chock full of heavy industries with odors that'll knock your socks off, so plan your route downtown wisely.<br />
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==Get around==<br />
[[Image:CTA_L map.png|thumb|400px|CTA trains route map]]<br />
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Navigating Chicago is easy. Block numbers are consistent across the whole city. Standard blocks, of 100 addresses each, are roughly 1/8th of a mile long. (Hence, a mile is equivalent to a street number difference of 800.) Each street is assigned a number based on its distance from the zero point of the address system, the intersection of State Street and Madison Street. A street with a W (west) or E (east) number runs north-south, while a street with a N (north) or S (south) number runs east-west. A street's number is usually written on street signs at intersections, below the street name. Major thoroughfares are at each mile (multiples of 800) and secondary arteries at the half-mile marks. Thus, Western Ave at 2400 W is a north-south major thoroughfare, while Montrose Ave at 4400 N is an east-west secondary artery. <br />
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In general, &quot;avenues&quot; run north-south and &quot;streets&quot; run east-west, but there are numerous exceptions. (e.g., 48th Street may then be followed by 48th Place). In conversation, however, Chicagoans rarely distinguish between streets, avenues, boulevards, etc. <br />
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Several streets follow diagonal or meandering paths through the city such as Clark St, Lincoln Ave, Broadway, Milwaukee Ave, Ogden Ave, Archer Ave, Vincennes Ave, and South Chicago Ave. <br />
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===By public transit===<br />
The best way to see Chicago is by public transit. It is cheap (basically), efficient (at times), and safe (for the most part). The '''Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)''' [http://rtachicago.com/] oversees the various public transit agencies in the [[Chicagoland]] area. You can plan trips online with the RTA '''trip planner''' [http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/] or get assistance by calling 836-7000 in any local area code between 5AM-1AM. The RTA also has an official partnership with Google Maps, which can provide routes with public transit.<br />
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&lt;!--PRINT<br />
[[Image:Chicago overview map print.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
[[Image:CTA_L map.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
[[Image:Metra map.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
====CTA====<br />
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The '''Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)''' [http://transitchicago.com/] operates trains and buses in the city of Chicago and some of the suburbs. Put simply, the CTA ''is'' Chicago. It is a marvel and a beast, convenient, frustrating, and irreplaceable. Even if you have the option of driving while you're in town, no experience of Chicago is complete without a trip on the CTA.<br />
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Fares are paid with '''transit cards''', which can be purchased and re-filled at kiosks in the lobby of every CTA station. All accept cash, and some accept credit cards. Many locals use the '''Chicago Card''', which cannot be purchased at stations, but can be ordered online [http://chicago-card.com] and also purchased at grocery stores and currency exchanges. '''Visitor passes''' are sold for unlimited travel on the CTA and Pace: 1 Day (24 hours) for $5.75; 3 Days for $14; 7 Days for $23 and 30 Days for $86. These passes are on sale at certain train stations (notably, the O'Hare Blue Line station), currency exchanges and some convenience stores, and online [http://transitchicago.com/fares_gifts]. Transit cards for single rides or larger increments can also be purchased online. <br />
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Train rides of any length, from one side of the city to another or just one stop, cost $2.25. At certain stations, you can transfer to other train lines at no extra cost. Once you have exited the turnstiles, entering another CTA station or boarding a CTA bus costs $0.25 — and doing it a third time is free, provided it's still within two hours of when you started the trip.<br />
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Locals refer to Chicago's public train system as the &quot;L&quot;. (Most lines run on '''el'''-evated tracks — get it?) All train lines radiate from the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] to every corner of the city. The &quot;Loop&quot; name originally referred to a surface-level streetcar loop, which pre-dated the elevated tracks; that ''any'' form of transportation preceded the present one may come as a surprise, given how old some of the stations look. But they work.<br />
[[Image:Ctabus.jpg|thumb|240px|A CTA bus - note the number/destination and symbol for wheelchair accessibility]]<br />
CTA train lines are divided by colors: Red, Green, Brown, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Orange and Pink. All lines lead to the Loop except the Yellow Line, which is a nonstop shuttle between the suburb of [[Skokie]] and the northern border of Chicago. The Red and Blue lines run 24/7, making Chicago one of only two American cities with 24-hour rail service. Hours for the other lines vary somewhat by day, but as a general rule are from about 4:30AM-12:40AM, slightly later on weekends.<br />
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Before you travel, find out the name of the train stop closest to your destination, and the color of the train line on which it is located. Once you're on-board, you'll find route maps in each train car, above the door. The same map is also available online [http://transitchicago.com/maps/maps/fwebmaptrain.gif]. The name signs on platforms often have the station's location in the street grid, e.g. &quot;5900 N, 1200 W&quot; for Thorndale.<br />
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There should be an attendant on duty at every train station. They can't provide change or deal with money, but they can help you figure out where you need to go and guide you through using the machines.<br />
[[Image:Chicagobusstop.jpg|thumb|200px|A CTA bus stop - note the symbols for wheelchair accessibility and late-night hours]]<br />
'''Buses''' run on nearly every major street in the city. Look for the blue and white sign, which should give a map of the route taken by the bus and major streets/stops along the way. Once inside, watch the front of the bus — a red LED display will list the names of the streets as they pass, making it easy to stop exactly where you'd like, even if it's a small side-street. To request a stop, pull the cord hanging above the window and make sure you hear an audible 'ding'. Hollering at the bus driver will raise tempers but works in a pinch.<br />
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Rides of any length cost $2 with a transit card or Chicago Card, and $2.25 in cash. Major bus routes run 7-15 minutes apart during daylight hours, depending on the route. Less-traveled routes or routes during off-peak hours may run less frequently. Check the sign to be sure the bus is still running. There are several bus routes that are on a 24 hour/7 day a week schedule — these are called OWL routes, and the signs usually have an owl to belabor that point. (See individual district articles for major bus routes through different parts of the city.)<br />
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If you have a web-enabled mobile device, the CTA runs a little godsend called the '''CTA Bus Tracker''' [http://ctabustracker.com/bustime/home.jsp], which uses GPS to provide reliable, real-time tracking information for almost all bus routes. If your mobile phone doesn't have internet service, you can use '''CTA By Text''' [http://ctabytext.com] to receive bus arrival times via text message.<br />
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CTA buses accept transit cards but do not sell them. They also accept cash, but do not provide change. If you overpay, the CTA keeps the extra cash, so carry exact change.<br />
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In compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, all CTA buses and some train stations are accessible to wheelchairs. Wheelchair-accessible 'L' stations are indicated by the international wheelchair symbol and have elevators or are at ground level. If you are trying to get to a place with a non-accessible station, there will be alternate routes by bus — contact the CTA for more information.<br />
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Crime on the CTA is low, but as with any major urban area, travelers should be aware of their surroundings when traveling in the wee hours of the night, and sit close to the driver if you feel uncomfortable for any reason. Buses are being equipped with video cameras as the fleet is upgraded. Some train cars have a button and speaker for emergency communication with the driver, located in the center aisle of the car on the wall next to the door. Do not press this just to chat — the driver is required to halt the train until the situation has been confirmed as resolved, and your fellow passengers will be unamused.<br />
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====Metra and South Shore====<br />
[[Image:Chicago_metra_near_the_loop.jpg|thumb|250px|Metra train on the way to the Loop]]<br />
[[Image:Metra map.png|thumb|420px|Metra system map]]<br />
'''Metra''' [http://metrarail.com/], ☎ +1 312 322-6777, runs commuter trains for the suburbs, providing service within Illinois, to [[Kenosha]], [[Wisconsin]], out west, and to the South Shore railroad, which provides service to [[South Bend]], [[Indiana]]. Metra trains are fast, clean, and punctual, but unpleasantly crowded during rush hour. Generally, every car or every other car on the train has a bathroom.<br />
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Metra's '''Electric Line''' provides service to the [[Chicago/Near South|convention center]] (McCormick Place), [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] (Museum of Science and Industry, University of Chicago), and the [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]'s Pullman Historic District and Rainbow Beach. The Electric Line is ''fast'', taking at most 15 minutes to reach Hyde Park from the Loop. Unfortunately, service outside of rush hours is infrequent (about once/hour), so be sure to check the schedules while planning your trip.<br />
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Although there are plans to change this in the future, none of the commuter trains currently accept CTA transit cards as payment. The fare to McCormick Place and Hyde Park, however, is only $2. Buy your tickets before boarding the train at a window or one of the automated vending machines. You can buy a ticket on the train, but that comes with an extra $2/ticket surcharge.<br />
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Ten-ride, weekly, and monthly passes are available. If you have a group of four or more people, it may be cheaper to purchase a ten-ride card and have all of your fares punched from that one card. If using Metra on Saturday and/or Sunday, you can purchase an unlimited ride weekend pass for just $7. Keep in mind that Metra only accepts cash at this time.<br />
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====Pace====<br />
'''Pace''' [http://pacebus.com/] runs buses in the suburbs, although some routes do cross into the city, particularly in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] at the Howard (Red/Purple/Yellow Line) CTA station and the [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]] at the Jefferson Park (Blue Line) CTA station. Pace provides paratransit services should you need to go somewhere inconvenient via CTA.<br />
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===By car===<br />
Avoid driving in downtown Chicago if at all possible. Traffic is awful, pedestrians are constantly wandering into the street out of turn, and garages in the Loop can cost as much as $40 per day. And although downtown streets are laid out on the grid, many have multiple levels which confuse even the most hardened city driver. Even outside of the city center, street parking may not be readily available. If you do find a spot, check street signs to make sure that a) no residential permit is required to park here and b) parking is not disallowed during certain hours for &quot;street cleaning&quot;, rush hour or something along those lines. Parking restrictions are swiftly and mercilessly enforced in the form of tickets and towing — be especially wary during snowy weather.<br />
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Parking is handled by one-per-block kiosks, which will issue a slip for you to put in your front window. The kiosks will accept cash or credit cards. If the kiosk fails for any reason (such as the printer running out of paper), there should be a phone number to call to report it and ensure you don't receive an undeserved ticket. As you do, any passing Chicagoan will be happy to commiserate about how badly the city bungled privatizing the parking meters.<br />
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Be advised: '''talking on a handheld cell phone while driving is illegal''' in Chicago, and the police are eager to write tickets for it. If you need to take a call, use a hands-free headset — or better yet, pull over.<br />
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The perpetual construction is bad enough, but drivers on the city expressways can be very aggressive. For those used to driving on expressways in the Northeast, this may be a welcome reminder of home. For everyone else, though, it can be intimidating.<br />
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===By taxi===<br />
{{infobox|Your Name Here|Determined to shake off the burden of a world-class cultural heritage, Chicago has always found ways to undercut its own treasures in exchange for a quick buck. Of late, &quot;naming rights&quot; are all the rage; while official city tourism guides rush to comply, using the new names will earn an eye roll or an oblivious look from most Chicagoans (and cab drivers). A few of the worst offenders:<br />
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* '''Sears Tower''' — 36 years after it was built, North America's tallest building was redubbed the &quot;Willis Tower&quot; for a bunch of junk bond traders; even more surprising than the renaming was how little the owners got for it.<br />
* '''Comiskey Park''' — Winning the city's first World Series in nearly a century helped earn some acceptance for the &quot;U.S. Cellular Field&quot; (&quot;The Cell&quot;) moniker, but it's still regarded as profanity by the old-timers in [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]], where the first Comiskey Park was built in 1910.<br />
* '''Hollywood Beach''' — The favorite beach of Chicago's GLBT community was renamed &quot;Kathy Osterman Beach&quot; for one of the mayor's [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Edgewater]] based political cronies, but more than a decade later, only city signage knows it by that name.}}<br />
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Chicago has some of the cheapest taxi fares in the U.S. Taxis can be hailed from the street throughout the major tourist areas, and are strictly regulated by the city. Fares are standard and the initial charge (&quot;flag pull&quot;) is $2.25 for the first 1/9 mile, then $0.20 for each additional 1/9 mile or $0.20 for each elapsed 36 seconds. There is a $1.00 fuel surcharge added to the initial charge. There is also a flat $1.00 charge for the second passenger, and then a $0.50 charge for each additional passenger after that (for example, if four people take a taxi together, there will be $2.00 in additional flat fees). There is no additional charge for baggage or credit card use. Rides from [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side#By plane|Midway]] to outer suburbs cost an additional one half the metered fee. Give the driver the nearest major intersection to which you are heading (if you know it) and then the specific address.<br />
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Outside of the downtown, North Side, Near West and Near South neighborhoods, you will likely have greater difficulty hailing a taxi directly from the street. In these situations, you can call for a taxi to come pick you up. Taxis typically take 10-15 minutes from the time you call to arrive. The principal companies are:<br />
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*'''American-United Taxi''', ☎ +1 773 248-7600<br />
*'''Checker Cab''', ☎ +1 312 243-2537<br />
*'''Flash Cab''', ☎ +1 773 561-1444 [http://flashcab.com/]<br />
*'''Yellow Cab''', ☎ +1 312 829-4222 [http://yellowcabchicago.com/]<br />
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The above applies only to Chicago taxis. Suburban taxi cabs have their own fares and rates, depending on the laws and regulations of the town in which they are based.<br />
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===By bicycle===<br />
Chicago has a bike path along the shores of Lake Michigan, making north-south travel very convenient as long as the weather is favorable by the lake. Most major city streets have bike lanes, and the biking culture is established enough that cars tend to accommodate and (grudgingly) yield to bicycles. Bike trips can also be combined with rides on the CTA. See the [[Chicago#Bicycles|bicycling section]] below for more details.<br />
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===By water taxi===<br />
In the summer, water taxis are sometimes more convenient than the CTA, if you are traveling around the fringes of downtown. They are also a relatively cheap way to take in some offshore views. Two private companies operate water taxi services around the Loop. <br />
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'''Chicago Water Taxi''' (''Wendella Boats'') [http://chicagowatertaxi.com/] ☎ +1 312 337-1446, uses yellow boats and has three stops (Michigan Ave, LaSalle/Clark, Madison St), plus Chinatown on weekends ($2, $4 Chinatown/all day pass). Taxis run roughly M-F 6:30AM-6:30PM, Sa-Su 10:30AM-6:30PM. <br />
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'''Shoreline Sightseeing''' [http://shorelinesightseeing.com/watertaximap.html] ☎ +1 312 222-9328, has blue and white boats. It is more expensive ($5-7), but it serves seven destinations including some on Lake Michigan (Union Station/Sears Tower, Wells &amp; Wacker, Michigan Ave Bridge, Navy Pier-Ogden Slip, Navy Pier-Dock St, Buckingham Fountain, and Museum Campus). Shoreline taxis run 10AM-6PM every twenty minutes and 6PM-9PM every half hour Memorial Day–Labor Day, with occasional and less frequent service in the spring and fall.<br />
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==See==<br />
&lt;!-- This section is for general Chicago topics. Listings for individual attractions should go in the appropriate district articles, listed above --&gt;<br />
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===Itineraries===<br />
* [[Along the Magnificent Mile]] — one day and night in Chicago, with skyscrapers, shopping, food, parks, and amazing views of the city from high and low.<br />
* [[Loop Art Tour]] — a 2-4 hour walking tour of downtown Chicago's magnificent collection of modern sculpture.<br />
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===Museums===<br />
[[Image:Lincolnparkzoo.jpg|thumb|240px|Penguin triumphant, Lincoln Park Zoo]]<br />
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Chicago's set of museums and cultural institutions are among the best in the world. Three of them are located within a short walk of each other in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]], on what is known as the '''Museum Campus''', in a beautiful spot along the lake: the '''Adler Planetarium''', with all sorts of cool hands-on space exhibits and astronomy shows; the '''Field Museum of Natural History''', which features '''SUE''', the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, and a plethora of Egyptian treasures; and the '''Shedd Aquarium''', with dolphins, whales, sharks, and the best collection of marine life east of California. A short distance away, in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], is the most fun of them all, the '''Museum of Science and Industry''' — or, as generations of Chicago-area grammar school students know it, the best field trip ever.<br />
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In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], the '''Art Institute of Chicago''' has a handful of iconic household names among an unrivaled collection of Impressionism, modern and classical art, and tons of historical artifacts. And in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], a short trip from the Loop, the cheerful (and free) '''Lincoln Park Zoo''' welcomes visitors every day of the week, with plentiful highlights like the Regenstein Center for African Apes.<br />
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Also, Chicago has some knockout less well-known museums scattered throughout the city like the '''International Museum of Surgical Science''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Gold Coast]], '''Chicago History Museum''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park|Lincoln Park]], '''DuSable Museum of African American History''' in [[Chicago/Washington Park|Washington Park]], '''National Museum of Mexican Art''' in [[Pilsen]], the '''Polish Museum of America''' in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], and the '''Museum of Photography''' in the Loop. The University of Chicago, in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], has several cool (and free) museums that are open to all visitors, showcasing a spectacular collection of antiquities and modern/contemporary art.<br />
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Discount packages like the '''Chicago CityPASS''' [http://www.citypass.com/chicago/] can be purchased before you arrive in town. They cover admission to some museums and other tourist attractions, allowing you to cut to the front of lines, and may include discounts for restaurants and shopping. Also, programs such as Bank of America's Museums to Go offer free admission at multiple Chicago museums for designated times which can save you a small fortune on admission fees.<br />
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===Architecture===<br />
{{web|''See the [[Chicago skyline guide]] to find out more about the city's skyscrapers.''}}<br />
[[Image:Prairie School Style Home.JPG|thumb|300px|Prairie School Style Home, [[Oak Park]]]]<br />
From the sternly classical to the space-age, from the Gothic to the coolly modern, Chicago is a place with an embarrassment of architectural riches. '''Frank Lloyd Wright''' fans will swoon to see his earliest buildings in Chicago, where he began his professional career and established the Prairie School architectural style, with numerous homes in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], [[Oak Park]], and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] — over 100 buildings in the Chicago metropolitan area! Frank Lloyd Wright learned his craft at the foot of the ''lieber meister'', '''Louis Sullivan''', whose ornate, awe-inspiring designs were once the jewels of the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and whose few surviving buildings (Auditorium Theater, Carson Pirie Scott Building, one in the [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]]) still stand apart. <br />
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The 1871 Chicago Fire forced the city to rebuild. The ingenuity and ambition of Sullivan, his teacher '''William Le Baron Jenney''' (Manhattan Building), and contemporaries like '''Burnham &amp; Root''' (Monadnock, Rookery) and '''Holabird &amp; Roche/Root''' (Chicago Board of Trade) made Chicago the definitive city of their era. The world's first '''skyscrapers''' were built in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] as those architects received ever more demanding commissions. It was here that steel-frame construction was invented, allowing buildings to rise above the limits of load-bearing walls. Later, '''Mies van der Rohe''' would adapt Sullivan's ethos with landmark buildings in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] (Illinois Institute of Technology) and the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] (Chicago Federal Center). Unfortunately, Chicago's world-class architectural heritage is almost evenly matched by the world-class recklessness with which the city has treated it, and the list is long of masterpieces that have been needlessly demolished for bland new structures.<br />
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Today, Chicago boasts three out of America's five tallest buildings: the '''[[Chicago/Loop#See|Sears Tower]]''' (1st), the [[Chicago/Near North#See|Trump Tower]] (2nd), and the Aon Center (5th) (although the local favorite is actually #6: the [[Chicago/Near North#See|John Hancock Center]]). For years, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world, but it has since lost the title. Various developers insist they're bringing the title back with proposed skyscrapers. Until they do, Chicago will have to settle for having the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere with the Sears Tower, although the Hancock has a better view and is quite frankly better-looking.<br />
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Chicago is particularly noted for its vast array of '''sacred architecture''', as diverse theologically as it is artistically. There were more than two thousand churches in Chicago at the opening of the twenty-first century. Of particular note are the so-called ''Polish Cathedrals'' like '''[[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown#See|St. Mary of the Angels]]''' in [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] and '''[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side#See|St. Hyacinth Basilica]]''' in [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Avondale]], as well as several treasures in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]] — beautifully crafted buildings with old world flourishes recognized for their unusually large size and impressive scope.<br />
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Architectural tours cover the landmarks on foot and by popular river boat tours, or by just standing awestruck on a downtown bridge over the Chicago River; see individual district articles for details. For a tour on the cheap, the short trip around the elevated Loop train circuit (Brown/Purple Lines) may be worth every penny of the $2 fare.<br />
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===African-American history===<br />
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Chicago's African-American history begins with the city's African-American founder, '''Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable'''. Born to a Haitian slave and a French pirate, he married a woman from the Potawatomi tribe, and built a house and trading post on the Chicago River on the spot of today's Pioneer Court (the square just south of the Tribune Tower in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]). Du Sable lived on the Chicago River with his family from the 1770s to 1800, when he sold his house to John Kinzie, whose family and friends would later claim to have founded the city.<br />
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Relative to other northern cities, African-Americans constituted a fairly large part of Chicago's early population because of Illinois' more tolerant culture, which was inherited from fervent anti-slavery Mormon settlers. As a non-slave state generally lacking official segregation laws, Illinois was an attractive place to live for black freedmen and fugitive slaves. <br />
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By the 1920s, Chicago had a thriving middle class African-American community based in the [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] neighborhood, which at the time became known as &quot;The Black Metropolis,&quot; home to a cultural renaissance comparable to the better-known Harlem Renaissance of New York. African-American literature of the time was represented by local poetess '''Gwendolyn Brooks''' and novelist '''Richard Wright''', most famous for his ''Native Son'', nearly all of which takes place in Chicago's [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] and [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]]. The Chicago school of African-American literature distinguished itself from the East Coast by its focus on the new realities of urban African-American life. Chicago became a ''major'' center of African-American jazz, and ''the'' center for the blues. Jazz great '''Louis Armstrong''' got his start there; other famous black Chicagoans of the day included Bessie Coleman — the world's first licensed black pilot, the hugely influential African-American and women's civil rights activist '''Ida B. Wells''', the great pitcher/manager/executive of Negro League Baseball '''Andrew &quot;Rube&quot; Foster''', and many more.<br />
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Both fueling and threatening Chicago's black renaissance was the single most influential part of Chicago's African-American history: '''the Great Migration'''. African-Americans from the rural [[South (United States of America)|South]] moved to the industrial cities of the North due to the post-WWI shortage of immigrant industrial labor, and to escape the Jim Crow Laws and racial violence of the South. The massive wave of migrants, most from [[Mississippi]], increased Chicago's black population by more than 500,000. With it came southern food, Mississippi blues, and the challenges of establishing adequate housing for so many recent arrivals — a challenge that they would have to meet themselves, without help from a racist and neglectful city government.<br />
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Black Chicago's renaissance was brought to its knees by the Great Depression; its fate was sealed ironically by the 1937 creation of the Chicago Housing Authority, which sought to build affordable public housing for the city. However well-intentioned the project may have sounded, the results were disastrous. The largest housing projects by far were the 1940 Ida B. Wells projects, which were designed to &quot;warehouse&quot; Chicago's population of poor African-Americans in a district far away from white population centers, the Cabrini Green projects, which developed a reputation as the most violent housing projects in the nation, and the massive 1962 Robert Taylor Homes in Bronzeville, which were forced to house an additional 16,000 people beyond their intended 11,000 capacity. The Black Metropolis proved unable to cope with this massive influx of new, impoverished residents, and the urban blight that came from concentrating such a great number of them in one place. <br />
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Further damaging to Chicago's black population was the phenomenon of &quot;white flight&quot; that accompanied the introduction of African-Americans to Chicago neighborhoods. Unwilling to live beside black neighbors, many Chicagoans fled desegregation to the suburbs. This trend was accelerated by the practice of &quot;blockbusting,&quot; where unsavory real estate agents would fan racist fears in order to buy homes on the cheap. As a result, Chicago neighborhoods (with the notable exceptions of [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]) never truly integrated, and the social, educational, and economic networks that incoming African-Americans hoped to join disintegrated in the wake of fleeing white communities. During this period, Chicago experienced a huge population loss and large sections of the city became covered with vacant lots, which in turn created the conditions for crime to flourish. A number of Chicago's major roads, most notably the Dan Ryan Expressway, were built in part to segregate these areas from more prosperous ones like the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]].<br />
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In 1966, '''Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.''' decided to come north and chose Chicago as his first destination. However, from the moment of his arrival on the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]], King was utterly confounded. The death threats that followed his march through Marquette Park were challenge enough, but nowhere in the South was there a more expert player of politics than Chicago's Mayor Richard J. Daley. King left town frustrated and exhausted, but '''Rev. Jesse Jackson''' continued civil rights efforts in Chicago through his Operation PUSH. The 1983 election of '''Mayor Harold Washington''', the first black mayor of Chicago, was a watershed event for Chicago's African-American population, and although long battles with obstructionist white politicians lay ahead, it marked the moment when African-American elected officials became major, independent forces in Chicago.<br />
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Today, with a plurality of nearly 40%, Chicago's black population is the country's second largest, after New York. The broader South Side is the cultural center of Chicago's black community; it constitutes the largest single African-American neighborhood in the country and boasts the nation's greatest concentration of black-owned businesses. Chicagoans ignorant of these areas may tell you that they are dangerous and crime-ridden, but the reality is much more complex. There are strong, middle and upper class black communities throughout the city, some of the more prominent of which include [[Chicago/Bronzeville|upper Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|South Shore]], and [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Beverly]]. <br />
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[[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] is the obvious destination for those interested in African-American history, although Kenwood also boasts interesting recent history, as it has been (or is) home to championship boxer Muhammad Ali, Nation of Islam leaders Elijah Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan, and '''President Barack Obama'''. No one should miss the '''DuSable Museum of African-American History''' in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], the first museum of African-American history in the United States. And if your interest is more precisely in African-American culture than history, head down to [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham and South Shore]] to enter the heart of Chicago's black community.<br />
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===Ethnic neighborhoods===<br />
[[Image:Chinatown%2C_Wentworth_Ave.jpg|thumb|300px|Wentworth Ave, Chinatown's main street]]<br />
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Chicago is among the most diverse cities in America, and many neighborhoods reflect the character and culture of the immigrants who established them. Some, however, do more than just reflect: they ''absorb'' you in a place that, for several blocks at a time, may as well be a chunk of another country, picked up and dropped near the shores of Lake Michigan. The best of Chicago's ethnic neighborhoods are completely uncompromised, and that makes them a real highlight for visitors.<br />
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Chicago's [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Chinatown]] is among the most active Chinatowns in the world. It even has its own stop on the CTA Red Line. It's on the South Side near [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]], birthplace of the Irish political power-brokers who have run Chicago government for most of the last century. More Irish communities exist on the [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Far Southwest Side]], where they even have an Irish castle to seal the deal. The [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]] houses enormous populations of Polish Highlanders and Mexicans, as well as reduced Lithuanian and Bohemian communities.<br />
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No serious Chicago gourmand would eat Indian food that didn't come from a restaurant on '''Devon Avenue''' in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]. It's paradise for spices, saris, and the latest Bollywood flicks. Lawrence Avenue in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Albany Park]] is sometimes called '''Seoul Drive''' for the Korean community there, and the Persian food on Kedzie Avenue nearby is simply astonishing. At the '''Argyle''' Red Line stop, by the intersection of Argyle and Broadway in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]], you'd be forgiven for wondering if you were still in America; Vietnamese, Thais, and Laotians share space on a few blocks of restaurants, grocery stores, and even dentists. Neither the Swedish settlers who built [[Chicago/Uptown|Andersonville]] or the Germans from [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]] are the dominant presence in those neighborhoods any more, but their identity is still present in restaurants, cultural centers, and other small discoveries to be made. Likewise, '''Little Italy''' and '''Greektown''' on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] survive only as restaurant strips. <br />
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A more contemporary experience awaits in [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] and [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]], two neighborhoods on the Lower West Side where the Spanish signage outnumbers the English; in fact, Chicago has the second largest Mexican and Puerto Rican populations outside of their respective home countries. Pilsen and its arts scene is an especially an exciting place to visit.<br />
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It's hard to imagine displacement being a concern for the Polish community on the city's [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest]] sides. The '''Belmont-Central''' business district is what you might consider the epicenter of Polish activity,. Bars, restaurants, and dozens of other types of Polish businesses thrive on this strip, and on a smaller section of Milwaukee Avenue (between Roscoe and Diversey) in the vicinity of ''St. Hyacinth Basilica'' which bears the Polish name of '''Jackowo'''- [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Chicago's Polish Village]]. Polish Highlanders, or Górals, on the other hand dominate the city's [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]] with a cuisine and culture that is decidedly Balkan. A host of restaurants and cultural institutions visibly display the rustic touch of their Carpathian craft such as the '''Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America''' at Archer Avenue just northeast of its intersection with Pulaski Road.'''Taste of Polonia''', held over Labor Day weekend on the grounds of the Copernicus Foundation at the historic '''[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Gateway Theatre]]''', draws an annual attendance of about 50,000 people and is touted as the city's largest ethnic fest.<br />
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==Do==<br />
&lt;!-- This section is for general Chicago topics. Listings for individual attractions should go in the appropriate district articles, listed above --&gt;<br />
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===Beaches=== <br />
Chicago is not known as a beach destination, but Lake Michigan is the largest freshwater lake located entirely within the United States, and Chicagoans flock to its sandy shores. Anyone can show up and swim — there are no admission fees, miles of beaches are within walking distance of the Red Line, and almost none of the lakefront is spoiled by &quot;private&quot; beaches. Despite the latitude, the water is quite warm in the summer and early fall {{web|(check with the NOAA for temperatures [http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/lmofs/fore_temp.shtml]) }}. The Chicago shore has been called the second cleanest urban waterfront ''in the world'', although bacteria levels in the water do force occasional — but rare — beach closures (which are clearly posted at the beach, and online [http://chicagoparkdistrict.com/resources/beaches/]). Lifeguards will be posted (usually in a rowboat) if the beach is officially open.<br />
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Oak Street Beach and North Avenue Beach (in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] and [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]]) are the fashionable places to sun-tan and be seen, but [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] has mile after mile of less pretentious sand and surf. [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park's]] Promontory Point is beautiful, and offers skyline views from its submerged beach by the rocks (although a swim there is ''technically'' against city rules). Hollywood Beach in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Edgewater]] is the main gay beach.<br />
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===Parks===<br />
[[Image:Jackson Park, Osaka Garden.jpg|thumb|240px|The Osaka Garden on Jackson Park's Wooded Isle]]<br />
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Where there are beaches, there are lakefront parks. During the summer months, the parks are a destination for organized and impromptu volleyball and soccer games, chess matches, and plenty more, with tennis and basketball courts dotted along the way. <br />
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There are also terrific parks further away from the lake. In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], '''Grant Park''' hosts music festivals throughout the year, and '''Millennium Park''' is a fun destination for all ages, especially during the summer. In [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], '''Midway Park''' offers skating, and summer and winter gardens in the shadow of the academic giant, the University of Chicago, and '''Jackson Park''' has golf, more gardens and the legacy of the city's shining moment, the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition. In [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], '''Washington Park''' is one of the city's best places for community sports. And that's just a brief overview. Almost every neighborhood in Chicago has a beloved park.<br />
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===Events &amp; Festivals=== <br />
If you're ''absolutely'' determined and you plan carefully, you may be able to visit Chicago during a festival-less week. It's a challenge, though. Most neighborhoods, parishes, and service groups host their own annual festivals throughout the spring, summer, and fall [http://explorechicago.org/city/en/supporting_narrative/events___special_events/special_events/mose/chicago_neighborhood.html]. There are a few can't-miss city-wide events, though. In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], Grant Park hosts '''Taste of Chicago''' in July, and four major music festivals: '''Blues Fest''' and '''Gospel Fest''' in June, '''Lollapalooza''' in August, and '''Jazz Fest''' over Labor Day Weekend. All but Lollapalooza are free. The Chicago-based music website '''Pitchfork Media''' also hosts their own annual three day festival of rock, rap, and more in the summer.<br />
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===Sports===<br />
With entries in every major professional sports league and several universities in the area, Chicago sports fans have a lot to keep them occupied. The '''Chicago Bears''' play football at Soldier Field in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] from warm September to frigid January. Since the baseball teams split the city in half, nothing seizes the Chicago sports consciousness like a playoff run from the Bears. Aspiring fans will be expected to be able to quote a minimum of two verses of the ''Super Bowl Shuffle'' from memory, tear up at the mention of Walter Payton, and provide arguments as to how Butkus, Singletary, and Urlacher represent stages in the evolution of the linebacker, with supporting evidence in the form of grunts, yells, and fists slammed on tables.<br />
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The '''Chicago Bulls''' play basketball at the United Center on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]. While quality of play and ticket prices may never again reach Jordan-era mania, they're still an exciting team to watch, led by young star Derrick Rose. The '''Chicago Blackhawks''' share quarters with the Bulls. As one of the &quot;Original Six&quot; teams in professional hockey, the Blackhawks have a long history in their sport, and the team is experiencing a renaissance after capturing the Stanley Cup in 2010 for the first time in 49 years. Home games for both teams tend to sell out, but tickets can usually be found if you check around. Both the Bulls and the Blackhawks play from the end of October to the beginning of April.<br />
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It's baseball, though, in which the tribal fury of Chicago sports is best expressed. The '''Chicago Cubs''' play at Wrigley Field on the North Side, in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], and the '''Chicago White Sox''' play at U.S. Cellular Field (Comiskey Park, underneath the corporate naming rights) on the South Side, in [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]]. Both franchises have more than a century's worth of history, and both teams play 81 home games from April to the beginning of October. Everything else is a matter of fiercely held opinion. The two three-game series when the teams play each other are the hottest sports tickets in Chicago during any given year. If someone offers you tickets to a game, pounce.<br />
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There are plenty of smaller leagues in the city as well, although some play their games in the suburbs. The '''Chicago Fire''' (Major League Soccer) and '''Chicago Red Stars''' (Women's Professional Soccer) play soccer in the suburb of Bridgeview, the '''Chicago Sky''' play women's professional basketball at the UIC Pavilion on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]], and the '''Windy City Rollers''' skate flat-track roller derby in neighboring [[Cicero]]. Minor league baseball teams dot the suburbs as well.<br />
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While college athletics are not one of Chicago's strong points, Northwestern football (in [[Evanston]]) and DePaul basketball (off-campus in [[Rosemont]]) show occasional signs of life. If you find yourself in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], ask someone how the University of Chicago football team is doing — it's a surefire conversation starter.<br />
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===Theater===<br />
[[Image:Gateway Theatre (Chicago).jpg||thumb|250px|right| The Gateway Theatre in [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Jefferson Park]], seat of the Copernicus Foundation. The theater's Baroque spire is a replica of the Royal Castle in [[Warsaw]].]]<br />
Modern American comedy — the good parts, at least — was born when a group of young actors from [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] formed The Compass Players, fusing intelligence and a commitment to character with an improvisational spark. One strand of their topical, hyper-literate comedy led, directly or indirectly, to Shelly Berman, Mike Nichols &amp; Elaine May, Lenny Bruce, ''M*A*S*H'' and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''; another strand, namely '''The Second City''', led to ''Saturday Night Live'' and a pretty huge percentage of the funny movies and television of the last thirty years. Still in Chicago's [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]] (and few other places as well), still smart and still funny, Second City does two-act sketch revues followed by one act of improv. If you only see one show while you're in Chicago, Second City is a good choice.<br />
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Improvisational comedy as a performance art form is a big part of the Chicago theater scene. At [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] and [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]] theaters like '''The Annoyance Theater''', '''I.O.''', and '''The Playground''', young actors take classes and perform shows that range from ragged to inspired throughout the week. Some are fueled by the dream of making the cast of ''SNL'' or Tina Fey's latest project, and some just enjoy doing good work on-stage, whether or not they're getting paid for it (and most aren't). There's no guarantee that you'll see something great on any given night, but improv tends to be cheaper than anything else in town, and it can definitely be worth the risk. Another popular theater experience is the comedy/drama hybrid '''Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind''', offering 30 plays in 60 minutes every weekend in [[Chicago/Uptown|Andersonville]].<br />
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'''Steppenwolf''', in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], is Chicago's other landmark theater. Founded in 1976, they have a history of taking risks onstage, and they have the ensemble to back it up, with heavyweights like Joan Allen, John Malkovich, and Gary Sinise. Steppenwolf isn't cheap any more, but they mix good, young actors with their veteran ensemble and still choose interesting, emotionally-charged scripts. It's the best place in town to see modern, cutting-edge theater with a bit of &quot;I went to...&quot; name-drop value for the folks back home. <br />
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Most of the prestige theaters, including the '''Broadway in Chicago''' outlets, are located in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] or the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]. Tickets are expensive and can be tough to get, but shows destined for [[New_York_City/Theater_District|Broadway]] like ''The Producers'' often make their debut here. For the cost-conscious, the '''League of Chicago Theatres''' operates '''Hot Tix''' [http://hottix.org/], which offers short-notice half-price tickets to many Chicago shows.<br />
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One theater to see, regardless of the production, is '''The Auditorium''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. It's a masterpiece of architecture and of performance space. Designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, who were on a commission from syndicate of local business magnates to bring some culture to the heathen city, it was the tallest building in Chicago and one of the tallest in the world at the time of its opening in 1889, and it's still an impressive sight, inside and out.<br />
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===Bicycles=== <br />
Chicago has a strong, passionate bicycle culture, and riding opportunities abound. Pedaling your way around the city is one of the best ways to get to know Chicago. And the terrain is mostly flat — a boon for easy-going cyclists! If you don't have a bike, that's no problem. '''Bobby's Bike Hike''' [http://bobbysbikehike.com/] has the official city concession, with a central bike rental location near Navy Pier, at the old North Pier at 465 N. McClurg Court. <br />
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The scenic '''Lakefront Trail''' runs for 18 continuous miles along the city's beautiful shoreline, from Hollywood Beach in Edgewater to the magnificent South Shore Cultural Center. Even while riding at a moderate pace, traveling downtown along the lakefront can be faster than driving or taking the CTA! If you're starting from downtown, you'll be at the approximate midpoint of the trail. Head south if you want a speed workout with fewer crowds, or north to see more of the locals at play.<br />
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Further inland, many streets have bike lanes, and signs direct riders to major bike routes. The City of Chicago maintains helpful '''bicycle resources online''' [http://chicagobikes.org/], including major civic bike events and (slow) interactive maps of major streets with bike lanes.<br />
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Bicyclists have to follow the same &quot;rules of the road&quot; as automobiles (stop at red lights and stop signs, etc). Bicycle riding is not allowed on sidewalks (except for children under age 12). This rule is strictly enforced in higher density neighborhoods, mostly areas near the lake, and is considered a criminal misdemeanor offense. You must walk your bike on the sidewalk.<br />
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CTA buses are all equipped with front bike racks, which carry up to two bicycles, and 'L' trains permit two bicycles per car ''except'' during rush hour (roughly 7-9:30AM and 3:30-6:30PM weekdays, excluding major holidays on which the CTA is running on a Sunday schedule). With the buses, inspect the rack closely for wear or damage and be absolutely certain that the bike is secured before you go, lest it fall off in traffic (and be immediately flattened by the bus). The CTA will fight tooth and nail to avoid reimbursing you for the loss, and the driver might not stop to let you retrieve it.<br />
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Bikes may be rented from the North Avenue Beach House ([[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]]), Navy Pier, ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]), the Millennium Park bike station ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]), and from several bike shops in the city. Another option is to contact the terrific '''Working Bikes Cooperative''' [http://workingbikes.org/], an all-volunteer group of bike lovers that collects and refurbishes bikes, and then sells a few in Chicago to support their larger project of shipping bikes to Africa and South America. You could buy a cheap bike and donate it back when you're done, or even spend a day or two working as a volunteer.<br />
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For an opportunity to connect with the local bike community and take a memorable trip through the city, don't miss the '''Critical Mass''' [http://chicagocriticalmass.org/] rides on the last Friday of every month, starting from Daley Plaza in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] (5:30PM). With numbers on their side, the hundreds or even thousands of bike riders wind up taking over entire streets along the way, with themed routes that are voted upon at the outset of the trip. Anyone is free to join or fall away wherever they like. Police are generally cooperative — take cues from more experienced riders.<br />
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==Learn==<br />
Several major and minor universities call Chicago home. The '''University of Chicago''' and '''Northwestern University''' are undoubtedly the most prestigious among them. The University of Chicago's Gothic campus is in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], which is, famously, &quot;home to more Nobel Prizes per square kilometer than any other neighborhood on Earth.&quot; Further north, in the [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] area, is the '''Illinois Institute of Technology''', which has notable programs in engineering and architecture. '''Northwestern University''' has its main campus in [[Evanston]], just north of Chicago, but it also has campuses in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] off Michigan Ave, including its medical, law, and business schools.<br />
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On the North Side, there are two major Catholic universities with over a hundred years in Chicago: '''DePaul University''', in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], and '''Loyola University''', in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]. Both schools also have campuses in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. '''Rush University Medical School''', on the Near West Side, traces its roots back even further, to 1837. Dating back to 1891, '''North Park University''' serves as another fine private liberal arts university in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Albany Park]] on the Northwest Side. <br />
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A handful of schools in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] attract students in the creative arts. '''Columbia College''' has an enviable location on Michigan Avenue, and its programs in film are continually noted as one of the top in the nation, along with its programs in creative writing and photography which are also are well-regarded. The '''School of the Art Institute''' is generally regarded as one of the top three art and design schools in the country and is one of the few art schools that does not require its students to declare majors. The '''Illinois Institute of Art''' specializes in different fields of art and design, with a top-notch culinary program. The main campus of '''Roosevelt University''', former home to Chicago heavyweights like Harold Washington and Ramsey Lewis, is in the Auditorium Theatre building. <br />
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To the west of the Loop, built over the remains of Little Italy and Maxwell Street neighborhoods is the brutalist [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] campus of the '''University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)''', the second-largest member of the Illinois state university system.<br />
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The '''City Colleges of Chicago''' [http://ccc.edu/] are scattered throughout the city. They include '''Harold Washington College''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]), '''Harry S. Truman College''' ([[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]), '''Malcolm X College''' ([[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]), '''Wright College''' ([[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]]), '''Kennedy-King College''' ([[Chicago/Southwest Side|Englewood]]), '''Daley College''' ([[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]), and '''Olive-Harvey College''' ([[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]).<br />
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==Work==<br />
[[Image:Loop, L overhead.jpg|thumb|240px|The L rumbling overhead in [[Chicago/Loop|the Loop]]]]<br />
Chicago still loves Carl Sandburg and his poems, but the city shucked off the hog butcher's apron a long time ago. In terms of industry, there's little that distinguishes Chicago from any other major city in America, save for size. The '''Chicago Board of Trade''' [http://cbot.com/] and '''Chicago Mercantile Exchange''' [http://cme.com/] are among the biggest employers, with stables of traders and stock wizards. '''Boeing''' [http://boeing.com/] moved its headquarters to Chicago amid much fanfare a few years ago; '''United Airlines''' [http://united.com/] is another international company with headquarters in town. '''Abbott Labs''' [http://abbott.com/], just outside city limits, is the biggest employer of foreign nationals in scientific fields. The Big Five consulting firms all have one or more offices in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. And there's always construction work in Chicago, but with a strong union presence in the city, it's not easy for a newcomer to break into without an introduction. <br />
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For younger workers, the museums in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] are always looking for low-paid, high-enthusiasm guides, and the retail outlets on the [[Chicago/Near North|Magnificent Mile]] also need seasonal help. And with so many colleges and universities in the city, study abroad opportunities abound.<br />
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In Chicago, business is politics, and there's one word in Chicago politics: '''clout'''. The principal measure of clout is how many jobs you can arrange for your friends. Hence, if you want to work in Chicago, start asking around — email someone from your country's embassy or consulate and see if they have any leads, or figure out if there is a cultural association that might be able to help you. It's no coincidence that the Mayor's Office [http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/home.do] employs scores of [[Ireland|Irish]] workers every summer. If you happen to contact somebody who met the right person at a fundraiser a few days ago, you might fall into a cushy job or a dream internship; it's worth a try.<br />
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==Buy==<br />
Whatever you need, you can buy it in Chicago, on a budget or in luxury. The most famous shopping street in Chicago is a stretch of Michigan Avenue known as '''The Magnificent Mile''', in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] area. It includes many designer boutiques, and several multi-story malls anchored by large department stores like 900 N Michigan and Water Tower Place. Additional brands are available from off-strip shops to the south and west of Michigan.<br />
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'''State Street''' used to be a great street for department stores in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], but it's now a shadow of its former self, with Carson Pirie Scott's landmark Louis Sullivan-designed building closed, and invading forces from [[New York City|New York]] holding the former Marshall Field's building hostage under the name Macy's. Discounts can still be found at places like Filene's Basement, though.<br />
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For a classic Chicago souvenir, pick up a box of '''Frango Mints''', much-loved mint chocolates that were originally offered by Marshall Field's and are still available at Macy's stores. Although no longer made in the thirteenth-floor kitchen of the State Street store, the original recipe appears to still be in use, which pleases the loyal crowds fond of the flavor — and too bad for anyone looking to avoid trans-fats.<br />
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However, for a more unique shopping experience, check out the fun, eclectic stores in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]], or the cutting-edge shops in [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] and [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], which is also the place to go for '''music fiends''' — although there are also key vinyl drops in other parts of the city as well. '''Southport''' in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] and '''Armitage''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] also have browser-friendly fashion boutiques.<br />
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For '''art''' or '''designer home goods''', River North is the place to go. Centered between the Merchandise Mart and the Chicago Avenue Brown Line &quot;L&quot; stop in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], River North's gallery district boasts the largest arts and design district in North America outside of Manhattan. The entire area is walkable and makes for fun window-shopping.<br />
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Goods from around the world are available at the '''import stores''' in Chicago's many ethnic neighborhoods; check [[Chicago#Ethnic_neighborhoods|See]] for descriptions and district articles for directions.<br />
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If you are the type that loves to browse through '''independent bookstores''', [[Chicago/Hyde Park#Buy|Hyde Park]] has a stunning assortment of dusty used bookstores selling beat-up-paperbacks to rare 17th century originals, and the world's largest academic bookstore. '''Printer's Row''' in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] is also a great stop for book lovers.<br />
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==Eat==<br />
[[Image:Chicago deep dish pizza.jpg|thumb|240px|print=inline|Chicago's deep dish pizza is incredible]]<br />
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Chicago is one of the great restaurant towns in America. If you're looking for a specific kind of cuisine, check out the [[Chicago#Ethnic_neighborhoods|neighborhoods]]. [[Chicago/Near West Side|Greektown]], the [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Devon Ave]] Desi corridor, [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Chinatown]], and [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham]]'s soul food and barbecue are just the tip of the iceberg. Other areas are more eclectic: [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]] and Albany Park have unrivaled Middle Eastern, German, and Korean food, while [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]] offers nearly the whole [[Southeast Asia]]n continent with Ghanaian, Nigerian, contemporary American, stylish Japanese, and down-home Swedish a few blocks away. <br />
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If you're interested in celebrity chefs and unique creations, [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] and [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] have plenty of award-winners. [[Chicago/Near North|River North]] has several good upscale restaurants, but don't waste your time on tourist traps like Rainforest Cafe, Cheesecake Factory, or the Hard Rock Cafe. In fact, you should never submit to standing in line — there are always equally good restaurants nearby. No matter what you enjoy, you'll have a chance to eat well in Chicago, and you won't need to spend a lot of money doing it — unless you want to, of course.<br />
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But while Chicago has a world class dining scene downtown, it is the low-end where it truly distinguishes itself. No other city on earth takes fast food so seriously; for those who don't concern themselves with calorie counting, Chicago is cheap, greasy heaven. Head northwest and you'll find sausage shops and old-style Polish restaurants that carry on as if health food and celebrity chefs never happened in '''Jackowo'''- [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Chicago's Polish Village]], as well as at [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Belmont-Central]]- an Eastern European culinary heaven. Quite a few other local &quot;culinary specialties&quot; in particular deserve further description.<br />
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===Chicago pizza===<br />
Chicago's most prominent contribution to world cuisine might be the '''deep dish pizza'''. Delivery chains as far away as [[Kyoto]] market &quot;Chicago-style pizza,&quot; but the only place to be sure you're getting the real thing is in Chicago. To make a deep dish pizza, a thin layer of dough is laid into a deep round pan and pulled up the sides, and then meats and vegetables — Italian sausage, onions, bell peppers, mozzarella cheese, and more — are lined on the crust. At last, tomato sauce goes on top, and the pizza is baked. It's gooey, messy, not recommended by doctors, and delicious. When you dine on deep dish pizza, don't wear anything you were hoping to wear again soon. Some nationally-known deep dish pizza hubs are Pizzeria UNO and DUE, Gino's East, Giordano's, and Lou Malnati's, but plenty of local favorites exist. Ask around — people won't be shy about giving you their opinion.<br />
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But deep dish is not the end of the line in a city that takes its pizza so seriously. Chicago also prides itself on its distinctive thin-crust pizza and stuffed pizzas. The Chicago '''thin crust''' has a thin, cracker-like, crunchy crust, which somehow remains soft and doughy on the top side. Toppings and a lot of a thin, spiced Italian tomato sauce go under the mozzarella cheese, and the pizza is sliced into squares. If you are incredulous that Chicago's pizza preeminence extends into the realm of the thin crust, head [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Mid-range|south of Midway]] to Vito and Nick's, which is widely regarded among local gourmands as the standard bearer for the city.<br />
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The '''stuffed pizza''' is a monster, enough to make an onlooker faint. Start with the idea of a deep dish, but then find a much deeper dish and stuff a ''lot'' more toppings under the cheese. Think deep-dish apple pie, but pizza. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for pizza places to make one of these and allow 3-4 extra notches on your belt for the ensuing weight gain. Arguably the best stuffed pizza in town is at Bella Bacino's in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], which somehow is not greasy, but other excellent vendors include Giordano's, Gino's, and Edwardo's.<br />
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===The Chicago hot dog===<br />
[[Image:Chicago hot dog.jpg|thumb|260px|print=inline|A charred Chicago-style hot dog with all the trappings]]<br />
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This may come as a surprise to New Yorkers, but the Chicago hot dog is the king of all hot dogs — indeed, it is considered the '''perfect hot dog'''. Perhaps due to the city's history of Polish and German immigration, Chicago takes its dogs ''way'' more seriously than the rest of the country. A Chicago hot dog is always all-beef (usually Vienna beef), always served on a poppy-seed bun, and topped with what looks like a full salad of mustard, diced tomatoes, a dill pickle spear, sport (chili) peppers, a generous sprinkling of celery salt, diced onion, and a sweet-pickle relish endemic-to-Chicago that is dyed an odd, vibrant bright-green color. It's a full meal, folks.<br />
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Ketchup is regarded as an abomination on a proper Chicago-style hot dog. Self-respecting establishments will refuse orders to put the ketchup on the dog, and many have signs indicating that they don't serve it; truly serious hot dog joints don't even allow the condiment on the premises. The reason for Chicago's ketchup aversion is simple — ketchup contains sugar, which overwhelms the taste of the beef and prevents its proper enjoyment. Hence, ketchup's replacement with diced tomatoes. Similarly, Chicagoans eschew fancy mustards that would overwhelm the flavor of the meat in favor of simple yellow mustard. And for the hungry visiting New Yorkers, the same goes for sugary sauerkraut — ''just no''.<br />
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At most hot dog places, you will have the option to try a '''Maxwell Street Polish''' instead. Born on the eponymous street of the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]], the Polish is an all-beef sausage on a bun, with fewer condiments than the Chicago hot dog: usually just grilled onions, mustard, and a few chili peppers.<br />
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In a tragic, bizarre twist of fate, the areas of Chicago most visited by tourists (i.e., [[Chicago/Loop|the Loop]]) lack proper Chicago hot dog establishments. If you are downtown and want to experience a Chicago hot dog done right, the nearest safe bet is [[Chicago/Near North#Eat|Portillo's]]. Although, if you're up for a little hot dog adventure, you can eat one right at the source, at the [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town#Budget|Vienna Beef Factory deli]]. Sadly, both baseball parks botch their dogs, although the 2011 return of Vienna Beef as the official hot dog of Wrigley Field is a step in the right direction.<br />
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===Italian Beef===<br />
The Italian Beef sandwich completes the Chicago triumvirate of tasty greasy treats. The main focus of the sandwich is the beef, and serious vendors will serve meat of a surprisingly good quality, which is slow-roasted, and thinly shaved before being loaded generously onto chewy, white, Italian-style bread. Two sets of options will come flying at you, so prepare yourself: sweet peppers or hot, and dipped or not. The &quot;sweet&quot; peppers are sautéed bell peppers, while the hots are a mixed Chicago giardiniera. The dip, of course, is a sort of French dip of the sandwich back into the beef broth. (Warning: dipped Italian Beefs are sloppy!) If you are in the mood, you may be able to get an Italian Beef with cheese melted over the beef, although travelers looking for the &quot;authentic Italian Beef&quot; perhaps should not stray so far from tradition. <br />
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The Italian Beef probably was invented by Italian-American immigrants working in the Union Stockyards on the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]], who could only afford to take home the tough, lowest-quality meat and therefore had a need to slow-roast it, shave it into thin slices, and dip it just to get it in chewable form. But today the sandwich has found a lucrative home downtown, where it clogs the arteries and delights the taste buds of the Chicago workforce during lunch break. Some of the city's favorite downtown vendors include Luke's Italian Beef in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and Mr. Beef in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], while the Portillo's chain is another solid option.<br />
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{{infobox|Four fried chickens and a coke...|With the Great Migration came much of what was best about the South: blues, jazz, barbecue — but following a legendary meal at which a young, hungry Harold Pierce saw the last piece of bird flee his grasp into the mouth of the local preacher, Harold made it his mission to add fried chicken to that prestigious list, and to ensure that no South Side Chicagoan ever run out. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Harold's Chicken Shack, a.k.a. the Fried Chicken King, is a South Side institution like no other. The Chicago-style fried chicken is considered by many connoisseurs to be some of the nation's best (certainly in the North), and it is fried in a home-style mix of beef tallow and vegetable oil, then covered with sauce (hot or mild). Crucially, it is always cooked to order — ensuring that essential layer of grease between the skin and the meat. A half chicken meal can come as cheap as $4 and includes coleslaw, white bread, and sauce-drenched fries — make like a local and wrap the fries in the bread. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Initially, the fried chicken chain spread throughout black neighborhoods, which were ignored by other fast food chains, but in later years the franchise has extended its greasy fingers to the West and North Sides, as well as downtown. While chances are you will not find better fried chicken outside of Harold's walls, the quality, pricing, and character vary between individual locations. Your safest bets are on the South Side — if you are served through bullet-proof glass under signs bearing a chef chasing a chicken with a hatchet, rest assured you are getting the best.}}<br />
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==Drink==<br />
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Chicago is a drinking town, and you can find bars and pubs in every part of the city. It is believed that Chicago has the second highest bars-per-capita in the U.S. (after [[San Francisco]]). Be prepared to be asked for identification to verify your age, even at neighborhood dive bars. '''Smoking''' is banned in Chicago bars (and restaurants). <br />
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The best places to drink for drinking's sake are [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] and neighboring [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan Square and Bucktown]], which have a world-class stock of quality dive bars and local craft breweries. [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|North Center]] and Roscoe Village are also a great (and underrated) destination for the art of the beer garden. Beware the bars in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] near Wrigley Field, though, which are packed on weekends, and jam-packed all day whenever the Cubs are playing. Just to the south, [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] has bars and beer gardens to indulge those who miss college, and some trendy clubs for the neighborhood's notorious high-spending Trixies. <br />
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Ill-informed tourists converge upon the nightclubs of [[Chicago/Near North|Rush and Division St]]. The city's best DJs spin elsewhere, the best drinks are served elsewhere, and the cheapest beers are served elsewhere; the hottest of-the-moment clubs and in-the-know celebrities are usually elsewhere, too. For the last few years the [[Chicago/Near West Side|West Loop's]] warehouse bars were the place to be, but more recently the River North neighborhood has been making a comeback. Still, the Rush/Division bars do huge business. This area includes the &quot;Viagra Triangle,&quot; where Chicago's wealthy older men hang out with women in their early 20s. Streeterville, immediately adjacent, exchanges the dance floors for high-priced hotel bars and piano lounges.<br />
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Although good dance music can be found in Wicker Park and the surrounding area, the best places to dance in the city are the expensive see and be seen clubs in River North and the open-to-all (except perhaps bachelorette parties) clubs in gay-friendly [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Boystown]], which are a lot of fun for people of any sexual orientation.<br />
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===Jazz and Blues===<br />
{{web|''See [[The_Jazz_Track#Day_5_.28Saturday.29:_Visiting_Chicago|The Jazz Track]] for a wealth of information about current and historic jazz clubs in Chicago.''}}<br />
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The Lower Mississippi River Valley is known for its music; [[New Orleans]] has jazz, and [[Memphis]] has blues. Chicago, though located far away from the valley, has both. Former New Orleans and Memphis residents brought jazz and blues to Chicago as they came north for a variety of reasons: the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 brought a lot of itinerant musicians to town, and the city's booming economy kept them coming through the [[Chicago#African-American history|Great Migration]]. Chicago was the undisputed capital of early jazz between 1917-1928, wih masters like Joe King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Noone, Johnny Dodds, Earl Hines, and Jelly Roll Morton. Most of Chicago's historic jazz clubs are on the South Side, particularly in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], but the North Side has the can't-miss '''Green Mill''' in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]. <br />
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The blues were in Chicago long before the car chase and the mission from God, but ''The Blues Brothers'' sealed Chicago as the home of the blues in the popular consciousness. Fortunately, the city has the chops to back that up. '''Maxwell Street''' [http://maxwellstreet.org] ([[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]) was the heart and soul of Chicago blues, but the wrecking ball, driven by the University of Illinois at Chicago, has taken a brutal toll. Residents have been fighting to save what remains. For blues history, it doesn't get much better than '''Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation''' ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]), and [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], the former &quot;Black Metropolis,&quot; is a key stop as well. Performance venues run the gamut from tiny, cheap blues bars all over the city to big, expensive places like '''Buddy Guy's Legends''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]) and the original '''House of Blues''' ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]).<br />
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But don't let yourself get ''too'' wrapped up in the past, because Chicago blues is anything but. No other city in the world can compete with Chicago's long list of blues-soaked neighborhood dives and lounges. The North Side's blues clubs favor tradition in their music, and are usually the most accessible to visitors, but offer a slightly watered down experience from the funkier, more authentic blues bars on the South and Far West Sides, where most of Chicago's blues musicians live and hang. If one club could claim to be the home of the real Chicago blues, '''Lee's Unleaded Blues''' in [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]] would probably win the title. But there are scores of worthy blues joints all around the city (many of which are a lot easier to visit via public transport). A visit to one of these off-the-beaten-path blues dives is considerably more adventurous than a visit to the touristy House of Blues, but the experiences born of such adventures have been known to reward visitors with a life-long passion for the blues.<br />
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Although playing second fiddle to the blues in the city's collective consciousness, jazz thrives in Chicago, too, thanks in no small part to members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and their residencies at clubs like '''The Velvet Lounge''' and '''The Jazz Showcase''' (both of which see regular national acts) ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]), '''The New Apartment Lounge''' ([[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]]) and '''The Hideout''' ([[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]]), with more expensive national touring acts downtown at '''The Chicago Theater''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]). If you are staying downtown, the Velvet Lounge will be your best bet, as it is an easy cab ride, and its high-profile performances will rarely disappoint.<br />
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Fans should time their visits to coincide with '''Blues Fest''' in June, and '''Jazz Fest''' over Labor Day Weekend. Both take place in Grant Park ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]).<br />
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===Concerts===<br />
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[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] and [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] are the main place to go for indie rock shows: the '''Double Door''' and the '''Empty Bottle''' are the best-known venues, but there are plenty of smaller ones as well. In [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], the '''Metro''' is a beloved concert hole, with '''Schubas''', '''Lincoln Hall''', '''The Vic''', and the '''Abbey Pub''' nearby (the latter on the [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]]). Other mid-sized rock, hip-hop and R&amp;B shows take place at the '''Riviera''' and the awesome '''Aragon Ballroom''' in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]. The [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] has become an underrated destination for great shows as well.<br />
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[[Image:Chicago theater.jpg|thumb|240px|The legendary Chicago Theater]]<br />
The '''Park West''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] has light jazz, light rock, and other shows you'd sit down for; so does '''Navy Pier''' ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]), particularly in the summer. The venerable '''Chicago Theater''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] is better-known for its sign than for anything else, but it has rock, jazz, gospel, and spoken-word performances by authors like David Sedaris. The world-renowned '''Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO)''' is the main bulwark in the city for classical and classy jazz, with occasional curve-balls like Björk. You'll find musicians from the CSO doing outreach all over the city, along with their counterparts at the '''Lyric Opera'''. Both are in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]].<br />
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A few big concerts are held at the '''UIC Pavilion''', the '''Congress Theater''', and the '''United Center''' on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] every year, and some ''huge'' concerts have taken place at '''Soldier Field''' ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]). The '''Petrillo Bandshell''' in '''Grant Park''' and the '''Pritzker Pavilion''' in '''Millennium Park''', both in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], tend to host big, eclectic shows and festivals in the summer, which are sometimes free. <br />
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Otherwise, most big shows are out in the suburbs, primarily at the '''Allstate Arena''' and the '''Rosemont Theater''' in [[Rosemont]], the '''Sears Centre''' in Hoffman Estates, the '''First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre''' in Tinley Park, '''Star Plaza''' in [[Indiana]], and the '''Alpine Valley Music Theater''' over the [[Wisconsin]] border. You'll also have to head out to the suburbs for '''Ravinia''', which features upscale classical, jazz, and blues outdoors throughout the summer. {{web|See [[Chicagoland]] for details on suburban venues.}}<br />
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==Sleep==<br />
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&lt;!-- do not put individual listings here - put them on the page for the district where they are located --&gt;<br />
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Chicago hosts many major conventions each year and has plenty of places to stay. The majority are either at [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare Airport]] or downtown in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] (near the Magnificent Mile). If you want to explore the city, aim for downtown — a hotel near O'Hare is good for visiting one thing and one thing only, and that's O'Hare. However, if you have a specific interest in mind, there are hotels throughout the city, and getting away from downtown will give you more of a sense of other neighborhoods. You'll appreciate that if you're in town for more than a couple of days. Make sure that where you're staying is within your comfort level before committing to stay there, though. More far flung transient hotels will be suitable for those seeking to relive Jack Kerouac's seedy adventures around the country, but may alarm and disgust the average traveler.<br />
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Budget-priced places are usually pretty far from the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], so when you're booking, remember that Chicago is vast. Travelers on a budget should consider accommodations away from the city center which can be easily reached via any of the several CTA train lines. There is a [[hostel]] in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and two others near the universities in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]], all of which are interesting neighborhoods in their own right, and close to the L for access to the rest of the city. For deals on mid-range hotels, there are good options far out from the center by [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Sleep|Midway]] and in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|North Lincoln]].<br />
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==Contact==<br />
===Internet===<br />
The first Internet cafe in the United States was opened in Chicago, but they never really caught on here. There are still a few, though; check individual district articles. If you have a computer with you, free wireless Internet access is now standard-issue at coffee shops throughout the city including major ones like Starbucks. Most hotels above the transient level offer free Wi-Fi, too.<br />
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The good news is that all branches of the '''Chicago Public Library''' system offer '''free internet access''', via public terminals and free, password-free, public wireless. If you do not have a Chicago library card, but you have a photo ID that shows you do not live in Chicago, you can get a temporary permit from the library information desk. (If you ''are'' from Chicago and don't have a library card, though, all you can get is a stern look and a brief lecture on how Chicagoans need to support the library system.) The most centrally located branch is the giant '''Harold Washington Library''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], but there are branch libraries in every part of the city — again, see individual district articles. Only Harold Washington and the two regional libraries ([[Chicago/North Lincoln|Sulzer]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Woodson]]) are open on Sundays.<br />
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===Telephones===<br />
'''312''' was the area code for all of Chicago for a long time; it's still the code of choice for the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and most of the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] and [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]. '''773''' surrounds the center, covering everything else within city limits.<br />
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Suburban areas close to the city use '''847''' (north/northwest), '''708''' (south), '''815''' (southwest), and '''630''' (west).<br />
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==Stay safe==<br />
[[Image:Chicago violent crime map 05-08.png|thumb|350px|Violent crime rates by neighborhood]]<br />
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As in almost the entire United States, dial '''911''' to get emergency help. Dial '''311''' for all non-emergency situations in Chicago.<br />
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Despite a big decline in the crime rate from the 1970s and 1980s, Chicago is still a big city with big city problems. There are run-down areas within a few blocks of some well-traveled places such as near the United Center and US Cellular Field. The majority of the city's violent crimes occur within a relatively small number of neighborhoods well off the beaten path in the South and West Sides, but given the chance nature of crime, you should exercise the usual precautions wherever you go. Even in a neighborhood with a bad reputation, though, you might still have a perfectly good time, as long as it falls within your comfort level.<br />
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Take caution in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] at night; after working hours, the Loop gets quiet and dark in a hurry west of State Street, but you'll be fine near hotels and close to Michigan Avenue and the lake. When disembarking a crowded CTA train, especially in the downtown-area subways, be wary of purse snatchers.<br />
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Beggars are common [[Chicago/Loop|downtown]]. They are very unlikely to pose any kind of problem, though. Some sell a local newspaper called ''Streetwise'' to make a living.<br />
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&lt;!--PRINT<br />
[[Image:Chicago violent crime map 05-08 print.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
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In general, common sense will keep you safe in Chicago: avoid unfamiliar side streets at night, stay out of alleys at night, know where you're going when you set out, stick to crowded areas, and keep a $20 bill on hand for cab fare as a bail-out option. <br />
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Dress appropriately for the weather. Chicago's winter is famously windy and cold, so cover exposed skin and wear layers in the winter, but heat exhaustion is an equal risk in the summer months, especially July and August. Stay off the road during a snowstorm. Chicago's streets and sanitation department generally does a good job clearing the major roads in the center of the city, but the neighborhoods can take longer, and the construction-littered expressways are anyone's guess.<br />
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==Cope==<br />
===Publications===<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Tribune&quot; alt=&quot;The Trib&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagotribune.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Tribune is Chicago's oldest daily, recently converted into a tabloid format for newsstand purchases. New ownership has shed much of the Trib's former prestige with a debt-leveraged purchase and forced bankruptcy, widespread staff layoffs, and an ill-advised redesign.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Sun-Times&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://suntimes.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Sun-Times is Chicago's other &quot;major&quot; newspaper. It has a long-standing reputation for aggressive (some might say &quot;sensationalist&quot;) investigative journalism. It has also been teetering on the verge of oblivion for some time, but at least it has Roger Ebert.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Redeye&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://redeyechicago.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Redeye is a free weekdays-only newspaper produced by the Tribune. Although its covers appear to report from some parallel universe where topics like sandwiches and being tired at work are the top stories of the day, it does have basic news coverage inside along with entertainment gossip.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Defender&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagodefender.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Defender is Chicago's biggest African-American daily, and it played a major role in the city's African-American history. Its distribution network today is comparatively small, though.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Hola Hoy&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://hoyinternet.com/noticias/localidades/chicago/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Hola Hoy produces a free Spanish-language newspaper with wide distribution.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Reader&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagoreader.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Reader is a free weekly newspaper distributed throughout the city each Wednesday. It includes extensive listings of arts, music, and events. Nobody knows more about Chicago than the Reader, but it's definitely oriented toward locals.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Crain's Chicago Business&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagobusiness.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; Crain's is a long-standing weekly newspaper covering the Chicago area business community, with a dash of politics and lifestyle — definitely worth a look if you're in town on business.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;New City&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://newcitychicago.com/chicago&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;New City is a free weekly alternative arts and entertainment magazine, distributed every Wednesday. Event listings and local content are skimpy, but it is free.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Time Out Chicago&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://timeoutchicago.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Time Out produces a weekly magazine available at most newsstands and bookstores. Its listings for events, bars, and restaurants are by far the most comprehensive and easiest to use for visitors to the city.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Windy City Times&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://windycitytimes.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Free weekly LGBT newspaper.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
===Religious services===<br />
[[Image:Willmette how.jpg|thumb|300px|The spectacular Bahá'í Temple]]<br />
<br />
There are places of worship all over the city; the front desk of your hotel will almost certainly be able to direct you to one nearby. If not, though, the following are centrally located in either the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] or the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], unless otherwise noted.<br />
<br />
For churches of specific Orthodoxies, check in neighborhoods that feature communities with ties to that region. There's a majestic Orthodox church in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]], for example. Evangelical Christian ministries are mostly on the South Side, with some historic churches in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]. For the Baha'i faith, visit the '''Baha'i Temple''' in [[Wilmette]], easily accessible by the CTA Purple Line.<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Belmont Red Line&quot; address=&quot;540 W Melrose St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 248-9200&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://asbi.org/&quot;&gt; Modern Orthodox Judaism. In a remarkably beautiful building by the lake. Shacharit Su 8:30AM, M,Th 6:45AM, Tu,W,F 7AM; Mincha Su-Th 7:45PM. &lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Armitage Baptist Church&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Logan Square Blue Line&quot; address=&quot; 2451 N Kedzie Blvd.&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 384-4673&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://armitagechurch.org/&quot;&gt;Sunday worship 9:30, 11AM, and 6PM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4N739 IL Route 59, Bartlett&quot; phone=&quot;+1 630 213 2277&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;Free&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.baps.org/Introduction/Introduction.htm&quot;&gt; Everyday worship 11:30 AM Aarti.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago's Central Synagogue&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;15 W Delaware Place&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-0450 &quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://centralchicago.org/&quot;&gt; Conservative Judaism. Shabbat services Sa 9:15AM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Loop Synagogue&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Madison/Wabash Brown/Purple/Green/Orange/Pink Line&quot; address=&quot;16 S Clark St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 346-7370&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagoloopsynagogue.org/index.asp&quot;&gt; Traditional Judaism. Shachris Sa 9AM, Su 9:30AM; Mincha Sa 3:45PM, Su 4:15PM, M-F 1:05PM; Maariv 4:45PM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Sinai Congregation&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;15 W Delaware Pl&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 867-7000&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagosinai.org/&quot;&gt; Liberal Reform Judaism. Torah study Sa 10:30AM; Shabbat Eve service F 6:15PM, Sunday service 11AM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Downtown Islamic Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Jackson Red Line&quot; address=&quot;231 S State St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 939-9095&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://dic-chicago.org/&quot;&gt; Open M-F 10:30AM-5:30PM. Friday prayers: Khutba 1:05PM / Aqama 1:30PM (1st Friday Jamaa), Khutba 2:05PM / Aqama 2:30PM (2nd Friday Jamaa).&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10915 Lemont Rd, Lemont, IL&quot; phone=&quot;+1 630 972-0300&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;M-F 10AM-8PM&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://htgc.org/test/index.php?option=com_frontpage&amp;Itemid=1&quot;&gt; 25 miles southwest of Chicago. Call temple to schedule priest services.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Holy Name Cathedral&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;735 N State St&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://holynamecathedral.org/&quot; hours=&quot;Open for private prayer or reflection from 5:30AM-7PM&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Flagship of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Sunday Masses at 7:00, 8:15, 9:30 (incl. sign language), 11:00 AM, and 12:30, 5:15 PM. See website for Saturday, weekdays, and Holy Days schedules, as well as other sacraments.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Saint James Cathedral&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;65 E Huron St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-7360&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://saintjamescathedral.org/&quot;&gt; Episcopalian services. Office hours M-F 9AM-4PM. Eucharist Su 8AM,10:30AM, W 5:30PM, Th,F 12:10PM&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
&lt;!--WEB-START--&gt;<br />
<br />
===Foreign consulates===<br />
<br />
Here's a quick list of foreign consulates in Chicago:<br />
{| <br />
|-<br />
| style=&quot;vertical-align:top;width:50%;&quot; |<br />
* [[Image:ar-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Argentina &quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave, #4208/9&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 819-2610&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 819-2604 url=&quot;http://embassyofargentina.us/espanol/consuladosargentinoseneeuu/consuladosargentinoseneeuuchicago.htm&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;hrgcchic@aol.com&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 819-2612&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:as-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Australia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;123 N Wacker Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 419-1480&quot; email=&quot;chicago@dfat.gov.au&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 419-1499&quot; url=&quot;http://usa.embassy.gov.au/whwh/ChicagoCG.html&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:au-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Austria&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 222-1516&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:bf-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bahamas&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;8600 W Bryn Mawr Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 693-1500&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:be-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Belgium (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1703 N Randall Rd, Elgin&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 214-4670&quot; email=&quot;paulvanhalteren@sbcglobal.net&quot; fax=&quot;+1 847 787-5486&quot; url=&quot;http://diplobel.us/Representatives/Find_Consul.asp&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:bl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bolivia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1111 Superior St, #309&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 343-1234&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Melrose Park]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:bk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;151 E Chicago Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 951-1245&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:br-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Brazil&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;401 N Michigan Ave, #1850&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 464-0244&quot; email=&quot;central@brazilconsulatechicago.org&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 464-0299&quot; url=&quot;http://portalconsular.mre.gov.br/clientes/portalconsular/portalconsular/mundo/america-do-norte/estados-unidos-da-america/chicago&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:bu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bulgaria&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #2105&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 867-1904&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ca-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Canada&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;Two Prudential Plaza, 180 N Stetson Ave, #2400&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 616-1860&quot; url=&quot;http://canadainternational.gc.ca/chicago/index.aspx?lang=eng&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;chcgo@international.gc.ca&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 616-1878&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ci-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Chile&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #3352&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 654-8780&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ch-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;China&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;100 E Erie St, #500&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 803-0095&quot; url=&quot;http://chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:co-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Colombia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 923-1196&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:cs-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Costa Rica&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;203 N Wabash Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 263-2772&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:hr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Croatia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #1030&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 482-9902&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ez-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Czech Republic&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 861-1037&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:da-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Denmark&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave Ste 3950&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-8780&quot; email=&quot;ordhkt@um.dk&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 787-8744&quot; url=&quot;http://gkchicago.um.dk/en&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:dr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Dominican Republic&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;3228 W N Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 236-2447&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ec-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ecuador&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;30 S Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 338-1002&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:eg-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Egypt&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave, #1900&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 828-9162&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:es-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;El Salvador&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;104 S Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 332-1393&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:en-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Estonia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;410 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 595-2527&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:fi-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Finland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;362 E Burlington St, #2&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 442-0635&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Riverside]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:fr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;France&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-5359&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Germany&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;676 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 202-0480&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Greece&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;650 N Saint Clair St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 335-3915&quot; email=&quot;chicago@greekembassy.org&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 335-3958&quot; url=&quot;http://mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/AuthoritiesAbroad/North+America/USA/GeneralConsulateChicago/en-US/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gt-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Guatemala&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave #2350&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+ 1 312 332 1587&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:ha-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Haiti&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;220 S State St, #2110&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 922-4004&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ho-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Honduras&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4506 W Fullerton Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 342-8281&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:hu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Hungary&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-4079&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:in-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;India&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;455 N Cityfront Plaza Dr, NBC Tower Bldg Ste 850&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 595-0405&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 595-0409&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.indianconsulate.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:id-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Indonesia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;211 W Wacker Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 920-1880&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ei-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ireland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 337-1868&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 337-1954 &quot; url=&quot;http://irishconsulate.org&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:is-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Israel&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;111 E Wacker Dr, #1308&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 297-4800&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:it-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Italy&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 467-1550&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:jm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Jamaica&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4655 S Martin Luther King Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 373-8988&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
| style=&quot;vertical-align:top;width:50%;&quot; |<br />
* [[Image:ja-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Japan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #1100&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 280-0430&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:jo-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Jordan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;12559 S Holiday Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 272-6666&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; ([[Alsip]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ks-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Republic of Korea&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;455 N Cityfront Plaza Dr, #2700&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 822-0443&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lg-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Latvia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;3239 Arnold Ln&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 498-6880&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Northbrook]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lh-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Lithuania&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;211 E Ontario St, #1500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 397-0382&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Luxembourg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1417 Braeborn Ct&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 520-5995&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Wheeling (Illinois)|Wheeling]])&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:my-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Malaysia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #4101&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 280-9632&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:mx-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Mexico&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;204 S Ashland Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 738-2531&quot; url=&quot;http://consulmexchicago.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:FlagOfMontenegro.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Montenegro&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;201 E Ohio St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-6707&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:np-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Nepal&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;100 W Monroe St, #500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 263-1250&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:nl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Netherlands&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;303 E Wacker Dr Ste 2600&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 856-0110&quot; tollfree=&quot;+1 877-DUTCHHELP&quot; email=&quot;chi@minbuza.nl&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 856-9218&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.the-netherlands.org/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:nz-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;New Zealand (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;8600 W Bryn Mawr Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 714-9461&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 773 714-9483&quot; url=&quot;http://nzembassy.com/united-states-of-america/about-the-embassy/contact-us/nz-honorary-consuls&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:no-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Norway&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;900 Lively Blvd&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 364-7374&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; ([[Elk Grove]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Pakistan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;333 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 781-1831&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Panama&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;9048 S Commercial Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 933-0395&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:rp-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Philippines&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;30 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 332-6458&quot; email=&quot;chicagopcg@sbcglobal.net&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 332-3657&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagopcg.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pe-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Peru&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Michigan Ave, #1800&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 782-1599&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Poland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;820 N Orleans St, #335&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 337-8166&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:po-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Portugal (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1955 N New England Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 889-7405&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 493-2433&quot; url=&quot;http://un.int/portugal/visainfo.htm&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ro-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Romania&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 573-1315&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:Flag_of_Serbia_(state).png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Serbia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;201 E Ohio St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-6707&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sn-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Singapore&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10 South Dearborn St, #4800&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 853-7555&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sf-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;South Africa&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;200 S Michigan Ave, #600&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 939-7929&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 939-2588&quot; url=&quot;http://sachicago.pwpsystems.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sp-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Spain&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Michigan Ave, #1500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 782-4588&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sw-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Sweden&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;150 N Michigan Ave, #1951&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 781-6262&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sz-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Switzerland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #2301&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 915-0061&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 915-0061&quot; email=&quot;chi.vertretung@eda.admin.ch&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 915-0388&quot; url=&quot;http://eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/nameri/vusa/chicon.html&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:tw-flag.PNG|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Taiwan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Stetson Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 616-0100&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:th-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Thailand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;700 N Rush St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 644-3129&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:tu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Turkey&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;360 N Michigan Ave, #1405&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 621-3340&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:up-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ukraine&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10 E Huron St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 642-3129&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:uk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;United Kingdom&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave, #1300&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 970-3800&quot; url=&quot;http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/other-locations/chicago/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:uy-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Uruguay&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #1422&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 642-3430&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ve-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Venezuela&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;20 N Wacker Dr, #750&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 236-9655&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
|}<br />
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&lt;!--WEB-END--&gt;<br />
<br />
==Get out==<br />
===Illinois===<br />
* There are forest preserves in the far north, northwest, and southwest sides, and into the nearby [[Chicagoland]] suburbs. They are excellent for biking, jogging, and picnics.<br />
<br />
* [[Evanston]] is over the northern border of Chicago, approximately 45 minutes from downtown on the CTA, or half an hour via car (during light traffic). It has shops, restaurants, bars and Northwestern University, as well as some historic homes and lovely lakefront. Just beyond that is [[Wilmette]], with the fascinating '''Baha'i Temple'''.<br />
<br />
* [[Chicagoland#Lake_County|Ravinia]] is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Metra's UP-North line stops at the park gates, and the return train waits for late-ending concerts. The arts and crafts style architecture coupled with a dazzling array of acts make this a classic summer destination for Chicagoans and tourists. Bring food, a blanket, wine, and a citronella candle; buy anything you forgot on-site.<br />
<br />
* [[Brookfield (Illinois)|Brookfield]] is home to the Chicagoland area's other world-class zoo, the '''Brookfield Zoo'''.<br />
<br />
* Historic [[Galena (Illinois)|Galena]], three hours west-northwest of Chicago via I-90 and US-20, is great for hiking, sightseeing, and antiquing.<br />
<br />
* '''Six Flags Great America''', in [[Gurnee]] (40 miles north on I-94), has the biggest and wildest roller coasters in Illinois.<br />
<br />
* [[Peoria (Illinois)|Peoria]], in some ways a miniature Chicago, is a little over three hours away.<br />
<br />
* The [[Quad Cities]] — about 2.5&amp;ndash;3 hours away via I-55 to I-80 or I-90 to I-74 — bridge the Mississippi River forming a unique metropolitan area on the border of [[Iowa]] and Illinois.<br />
<br />
===Indiana===<br />
<br />
* The [[Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore|Indiana Dunes]] are a moderate drive away, and are also accessible via the South Shore commuter rail. If you've enjoyed the beaches in Chicago, you owe the Indiana Dunes a stop — that's where all the sand came from.<br />
<br />
* [[Gary]] is just over the border on the Skyway, with a skyline that rivals Chicago's for strength of effect — industrial monstrosity, in this case — with casinos, urban ruins, and a few entries by Prairie School architects Frank Lloyd Wright and George Maher.<br />
<br />
* Also just over the Skyway (before you reach Gary) is [[East Chicago|East Chicago's]] bizarre 19th century planned community, '''Marktown''', which looks like a small [[England|English]] village totally incongruous with the gigantic steel mills and the world's largest oil refinery which surround it.<br />
<br />
===Michigan===<br />
<br />
* Further along the lake from the Indiana Dunes are Michigan's dunes and summer resorts in [[Harbor Country]]. Keep your eyes open: Mayor Daley, University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer, and other notables summer here.<br />
<br />
* [[Detroit]] has many of Chicago's most hated sports rivals, and although fallen on hard times, it also has a musical and architectural heritage to compare with the Windy City.<br />
<br />
===Wisconsin===<br />
<br />
* [[Lake Geneva (Wisconsin)|Lake Geneva]], across the [[Wisconsin]] border, is the other big summer getaway. Nearby are the Kettle Moraine state parks, with good mountain biking.<br />
<br />
* [[Madison (Wisconsin)|Madison]] is located about two and half hours from Chicago on I-90 and via Van Galder buses. It is a vibrant city home to the giant University of Wisconsin and is known for its lively downtown, thriving culture, and beautiful scenery.<br />
<br />
* [[Milwaukee]] and its venerable breweries are less than two hours from Chicago on I-94, via Amtrak, and by intercity bus services.<br />
<br />
* [[Spring Green]] is an easy weekend trip from Chicago, about three and a half hours from town on I-90. It's the home of two unique architectural wonders: Frank Lloyd Wright's magnificent estate '''Taliesin''', and Alex Jordan's mysterious museum '''The House on the Rock'''.<br />
<br />
* The [[Wisconsin_Dells|Wisconsin Dells]] are another (wet) summer fun destination, just three hours north of the city by car (I-90/94), also accessible by Amtrak train.<br />
<br />
*[[Cedarburg]] is a popular festival town with a charming downtown featured on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located 20 miles north of downtown Milwaukee. Take 1-94 to Milwaukee and continue north on I-43.<br />
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&lt;!--WEB-START--&gt;<br />
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{{related|Chicago_skyline_guide}}<br />
{{related|Along_the_Magnificent_Mile}}<br />
{{related|Loop_Art_Tour}}<br />
<br />
[[WikiPedia:Chicago, Illinois]]<br />
[[wts:category:Chicago]]<br />
[[Dmoz:North_America/United_States/Illinois/Localities/C/Chicago/]]<br />
[[wikevent:Chicago]]<br />
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&lt;!--WEB-END--&gt;</div>132.160.54.160http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago&diff=1713936Chicago2011-07-13T20:25:35Z<p>132.160.54.160: Dig that Chicago SWING!</p>
<hr />
<div>{{printDistricts}}<br />
[[Image:Skyline from Millenium Park.jpg|thumb|350px|print=lead|Chicago's skyline viewed from Millennium Park]]<br />
<br />
'''Chicago''' [http://choosechicago.com/] is where blues went electric and jazz found its swing. As the hub of the [[Midwest (United States of America)|Midwest]], Chicago is close to everything and far from ordinary. Butcher of hogs and believer in progress, it is one of the world's great cities, and yet the metropolitan luxuries of theater, shopping, and fine dining have barely put a dent in real Midwestern friendliness. It's a city with a swagger that not even Ferris Bueller could tame. If anything, he added to the swagger. Danke Schoen! <br />
<br />
The [[Chicago skyline guide|Chicago skyline]] calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and [[Loop Art Tour|public art]], and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world. Locals love to share their opinion of where to find the funniest new comedian, coldest brew, or best seats for the game. In fact, Chicago locals are well known for their pride.<br />
<br />
With a wealth of iconic sights and neighborhoods to explore, you can blow through 'burbs like the Blues Brothers without ever seeing the end of sweet lady Chicago. Dress warm in the winter, and prepare to cover a lot of ground: the meaning of Chicago is only found in movement, so hop on the L and ride! <br />
<br />
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&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;<br />
&lt;!--PRINT<br />
[[Image:Chicago districts map print.png|print=inline]]<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
==Districts==<br />
<br />
Many visitors never make it past the attractions downtown, but you haven't truly seen Chicago until you have ventured out into the neighborhoods. Chicagoans understand their city by splitting it into large &quot;sides&quot; to the north, west, and south of the central business district (the Loop). Chicagoans also tend to identify strongly with their neighborhood, reflecting real differences in culture and place throughout the city. Rivalries between the North and South Sides run particularly deep, while people from the West Side are free agents in critical issues like baseball loyalty.<br />
<br />
{{Regionlist|<br />
<br />
regionmap=Integrated Chicago districts map.png |<br />
regionmaptext=Districts of Chicago |<br />
regionmapsize=401px |<br />
<br />
region1name=Downtown |<br />
region1color=#b569b5 |<br />
region1items=[[Chicago/Loop|The Loop]], [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] |<br />
region1description=''The'' center of Chicago for work and play, with shopping, skyscrapers, big theaters, and the city's most famous travel sights |<br />
<br />
region2name=North Side |<br />
region2color=#a4a460 |<br />
region2items=[[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Boystown]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]] |<br />
region2description=Upscale neighborhoods with entertainment aplenty in storefront theaters and the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, along with a ''ton'' of bars and clubs, and one of the largest LGBT communities in the nation |<br />
<br />
region3name=South Side |<br />
region3color=#459745 |<br />
region3items=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport-Chinatown]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]] |<br />
region3description= The historic Black Metropolis, brainy Hyde Park and the University of Chicago, Chinatown, the White Sox, soul food, and the real Chicago blues |<br />
<br />
region4name=West Side |<br />
region4color=#67b7b7 |<br />
region4items=[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan Square]], [[Chicago/Near West Side|Greektown]], [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] |<br />
region4description=Ethnic enclaves, dive bars, and hipsters abound on the fashionably rough side of town |<br />
<br />
region5name=Far North Side |<br />
region5color=#487db8 |<br />
region5items=[[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]], [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]], [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] |<br />
region5description=Ultra-hip and laid-back, with miles of beaches and some of the most vibrant immigrant communities in the country |<br />
<br />
region6name=Far West Side |<br />
region6color=#a5c077 |<br />
region6items=[[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Garfield Park]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Austin]] |<br />
region6description=So far off the beaten tourist track you might not find your way back, but that's OK given all the great food, a couple of top blues clubs, and enormous parks. |<br />
<br />
region7name=Southwest Side |<br />
region7color=#c9815e |<br />
region7items=[[Chicago/Southwest Side|Back of the Yards]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Marquette Park]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Midway]] |<br />
region7description=Former home to the massive meatpacking district of the Union Stockyards, huge Polish and Mexican neighborhoods, and Midway Airport |<br />
<br />
region8name=Far Northwest Side |<br />
region8color=#a76767 |<br />
region8items=[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Avondale]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Irving Park]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Portage Park]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Jefferson Park]] |<br />
region8description=Polish Village, historic homes and theaters, and some undiscovered gems in the neighborhoods near [[O'Hare International Airport]] |<br />
<br />
region9name=Far Southeast Side |<br />
region9color=#8888dc |<br />
region9items=[[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Historic Pullman]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|East Side]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|South Chicago]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Hegewisch]] |<br />
region9description=The giant, industrial underbelly of Chicago, home to one large tourist draw: the historic Pullman District |<br />
<br />
region10name=Far Southwest Side |<br />
region10color=#37a782 |<br />
region10items=[[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Beverly]], [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Mount Greenwood]] |<br />
region10description=Ireland in Chicago: authentic Irish pubs, brogues, galleries, and the odd haunted castle, all extremely far from the city center |<br />
<br />
}}<br />
<br />
&lt;!--PRINT<br />
===Downtown===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Loop|The Loop]]''' — the historic and business center of Chicago, the financial center of the Midwest, and the home of magnificent architecture, parks, and public art<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]''' — a ritzy shopping district, home to the Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, and the Gold Coast, and many hotels<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]''' — a few big draws, including Printer's Row, the Museum Campus, McCormick Place, and Soldier Field<br />
===North Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park-Old Town]]''' — a wealthy neighborhood with museums, mansions, upscale boutiques, the Lincoln Park Zoo, and some of the city's top dining and theaters<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview-North Center]]''' — entertainment aplenty with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, storefront theaters, and '''Boystown''', the center of Chicago's Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender culture<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]''' — a neighborhood with more than its fair share of Chicago history, Southeast Asian dining, Swedish and lesbian-friendly Andersonville, and a thriving entertainment district of edgy comedy and historic rock and jazz clubs<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/North Lincoln|North Lincoln]]''' — fun shopping at Lincoln Square, great Middle Eastern food on Kedzie and Korean food along Seoul Drive<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]''' — thriving multi-ethnic communities, miles of laid-back beaches, Loyola University, and the totally Indian Devon Avenue<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]]''' — Polish Village, historic homes and theaters, and some undiscovered gems in the neighborhoods near [[O'Hare International Airport]]<br />
===South Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]]''' — the University of Chicago's Gothic campus, brainy Hyde Park, old mansions aplenty, and great museums<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]''' — the historic &quot;Black Metropolis&quot; is a mecca of African-American History, historic site of the Chicago Black Renaissance, and home to the nation's first museum of African-American History in the enormous Washington Park<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport-Chinatown]]''' — home to Chicago's thriving Chinatown, the White Sox, and the city's South Side Irish power brokers<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]]''' — one of the country's true centers of African-American culture, with great soul food, the best BBQ in the North, and unparalleled blues clubs on offer<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]''' — Former home to the massive meatpacking district of the Union Stockyards, huge Polish and Mexican neighborhoods, and Midway Airport<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]''' — a vast and weird section of the city home to most of the city's heavy industry and the historic planned Pullman community of labor history fame<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Far Southwest Side]]''' — Ireland in Chicago: authentic Irish pubs, brogues, galleries, and the odd haunted castle, all extremely far from the city center<br />
===West Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]''' — lots of attractions in one area: dining at Little Italy and Greektown, clubs and galleries in the West Loop, the Chicago Bulls, and what remains of Maxwell Street<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]]''' — Chicago's hippest bar and restaurant scene plus eccentric shopping right next to Ukrainian Village, a neighborhood of hipsters and the Orthodox<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan-Bucktown]]''' — a neighborhood riding on a wave of gentrification spillover from Wicker Park with some great dive bars and wide-ranging Latin-American dining<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]]''' — incredible Mexican food everywhere you look, Czech architecture, two thriving arts districts, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and a Little Italy not overrun by visitors<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far West Side|Far West Side]]''' — so far off the beaten tourist track you might not find your way back, but that's OK given all the great food, a couple of top blues clubs, enormous parks, and the botanical gardens of the Garfield Park Conservatory<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
<br />
==Understand==<br />
Chicago was known as a fine place to find a '''wild onion''' if you were a member of the Potawatomi tribe, who lived in this area of [[Illinois]] before European settlers arrived. It was mostly swamps, prairie and mud long past the establishment of Fort Dearborn in 1803 and incorporation as a town in 1833. It could be argued that nature never intended for there to be a city here; brutal winters aside, it took civil engineering projects of unprecedented scale to establish working sewers, reverse the flow of the river to keep it out of the city's drinking supply, and stop buildings from sinking back into the swamps — and that was just the first few decades.<br />
<br />
By 1871, the reckless growth of the city was a sight to behold, full of noise, Gothic lunacy, and bustling commerce. But on October 8th, Mrs. O'Leary's cow reportedly knocked over a lantern in the crowded immigrant quarters in the West Side, and the '''Great Chicago Fire''' began. It quickly spread through the dry prairie, killing 300 and destroying virtually the entire city. The stone Water Tower in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] is the most famous surviving structure. But the city seized this destruction as an opportunity to rebuild bigger than before, giving canvas for several architects and urban planners who would go on to become legends of modern architecture.<br />
<br />
At the pinnacle of its rebirth and the height of its newfound powers, Chicago was known as '''The White City'''. Cultures from around the world were summoned to the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition, to bear witness to the work of Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, and the future itself. Cream of Wheat, soft drinks, street lights and safe electricity, the fax machine, and the Ferris Wheel bespoke the colossus now resident on the shores of Lake Michigan. <br />
<br />
As every road had once led to Rome, every train led to Chicago. Carl Sandburg called Chicago the '''Hog Butcher for the World''' for its cattle stockyards and place on the nation's dinner plate. Sandburg also called it the '''City of the Big Shoulders''', noting the tall buildings in the birthplace of the skyscraper — and the city's &quot;lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.&quot; But Chicago is a city in no short supply of nicknames. Fred Fisher's 1922 song (best known in Frank Sinatra's rendition) calls it '''That Toddlin' Town''', where &quot;on State Street, that great street, they do things they don't do on Broadway.&quot; It's also referenced by countless blues standards like '''Sweet Home Chicago'''.<br />
<br />
Chicago is also known as '''The Second City''', which refers to its rebuilding after the fire — the current city is literally the second Chicago, after the one that disappeared in 1871. The moniker has stuck, in no small part due to its popular association with the city's long-held former position as the United States' second largest city. And many know the nickname from Chicago's great comedy theater in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]].<br />
<br />
Chicago's history with corruption is legendary. During the Prohibition era, Chicago's criminal world, emblemized by names like Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, and later Sam Giancana, practically ran the city. The local political world had scarcely more legitimacy in a town where voter turnout was highest among the dead and their pets, and precinct captains spread the word to &quot;vote early, vote often.&quot; Even Sandburg acknowledged the relentless current of vice than ran under the surface of the optimistic city.<br />
<br />
Today, Chicago is known as '''The Windy City'''. Walking around town, you might suspect that Chicago got this nickname from the winds off Lake Michigan, which shove through the downtown corridors with intense force. But the true origin of the saying comes from politics. Some say it may have been coined by rivals like [[Cincinnati]] and [[New York City|New York]] as a derogatory reference to the Chicagoan habit of rabid boosterism and endless political conventions. Others say that the term originated from the fact that Chicago politicians change their minds &quot;as often as the wind.&quot; <br />
<br />
Finally, the city is known as the '''The City That Works''', as promoted by longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley, which refers to Chicago's labor tradition, the long hours worked by its residents, and its willingness to tackle grand civic projects. Daley and his father, former Mayor Richard J. Daley, ruled the city for decades in what can only be described as a benevolent dictatorship; as other Midwestern manufacturing cities like [[Cleveland]] and [[Detroit]] went into decline, Chicago thrived, transforming from a city of stockyards and factories to a financial giant at the forefront of modern urban design. But with Richard M. retiring in 2011, Chicagoans face the rare prospect of a Daley-less city government, and will have to decide all over again if democracy can work in this town.<br />
<br />
While the city has many great attractions downtown, most Chicagoans live and play outside of the central business district. To understand Chicago, travelers must venture away from the Loop and Michigan Avenue and out into the vibrant neighborhoods, to soak up the local nightlife, sample the wide range of fantastic dining, and see the sights Chicagoans care about most — thanks to the city's massive public transit system, every part of Chicago is only slightly off the most beaten path.<br />
<br />
<br />
===Climate===<br />
{{Climate<br />
| units = Imperial<br />
| janhigh = 29<br />
| febhigh = 34<br />
| marhigh = 45<br />
| aprhigh = 58<br />
| mayhigh = 70<br />
| junhigh = 80<br />
| julhigh = 84<br />
| aughigh = 82<br />
| sephigh = 75<br />
| octhigh = 63<br />
| novhigh = 48<br />
| dechigh = 35<br />
| janlow = 13<br />
| feblow = 18<br />
| marlow = 28<br />
| aprlow = 39<br />
| maylow = 48<br />
| junlow = 57<br />
| jullow = 63<br />
| auglow = 62<br />
| seplow = 54<br />
| octlow = 42<br />
| novlow = 31<br />
| declow = 20<br />
| janprecip = 1.7<br />
| febprecip = 1.4<br />
| marprecip = 2.7<br />
| aprprecip = 3.6<br />
| mayprecip = 3.2<br />
| junprecip = 3.8<br />
| julprecip = 3.6<br />
| augprecip = 4.1<br />
| sepprecip = 3.5<br />
| octprecip = 2.6<br />
| novprecip = 2.9<br />
| decprecip = 2.2<br />
| description = {{ForecastNOAA|Chicago|41.878644|-87.6358859}}<br />
}}<br />
[[Image:Coldchicago.jpg|300px|thumb|Insider tip: it has been known to snow in Chicago]]<br />
Weather is definitely not one of the attractions in Chicago. There's a good time to be had in any season, but it is a place where the climate has to be taken into consideration.<br />
<br />
Little known fact is despite Chicago's winters, there are more days with a maximum temperature of between 80-84F than any other five-degree range. Obscured by Chicago's ferocious winters are the heat waves of summer. The days in July and August that go above the &quot;normal&quot; are often times disgustingly hot and humid, dewpoints can be similar to those found closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Summer nights are usually reasonable, though, and you'll get a few degrees' respite along the lakefront — in the local parlance, that's &quot;cooler by the lake.&quot; <br />
<br />
But then there are those winters. The months from December to March will see very cold temperatures, with even more bitter wind chill factors. Snow is usually limited to a handful of heavy storms per season, with a few light dustings in-between. (And a little more along the lakefront — again in the local parlance, that's &quot;lake effect snow&quot;.) Ice storms are also a risk. It's a city that's well-accustomed to these winters, though, so city services and public transportation are highly unlikely to shut down.<br />
<br />
That said, Chicago does have a few nice months of weather. May and September are pleasant and mild; April and June are mostly fine, although thunderstorms with heavy winds can also occur suddenly. Although there may be a slight chill in the air in October, it rarely calls for more than a light coat and some days that's not even necessary. In some years, the warmth stored by the lake may prolong a pleasant autumn into November.<br />
<br />
===Literature===<br />
Chicago literature found its roots in the city's tradition of lucid, direct journalism, lending to a strong tradition of social realism. Consequently, most notable Chicago fiction focuses on the city itself, with social criticism keeping exultation in check. Here is a selection of Chicago's most famous works about itself:<br />
<br />
*Karen Abbott's ''Sin in the Second City'' is a recent best-seller about Chicago's vice district, the Levee, and some of the personalities involved: gangsters, corrupt politicians, and two sisters who ran the most elite brothel in town.<br />
*Nelson Algren's ''Chicago: City on the Make'' is a prose poem about the alleys, the El tracks, the neon and the dive bars, the beauty and cruelty of Chicago. It's best saved for ''after'' a trip, when at least twenty lines will have you enraptured in recognition.<br />
*Saul Bellow's ''Adventures of Augie March'' charts the long drifting life of a Jewish Chicagoan and his myriad eccentric acquaintances throughout the early 20th century: growing up in the then Polish neighborhood of [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]], cavorting with heiresses on the [[Chicago/Near North|Gold Coast]], studying at the University of Chicago, fleeing union thugs in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and taking the odd detour to hang out with Trotsky in [[Mexico]] while eagle-hunting giant iguanas on horseback. This book has legitimate claim to be ''the'' Chicago epic (for practical purposes, that means you won't finish it on the plane).<br />
*Gwendolyn Brooks' ''A Street in Bronzeville'' was the collection of poems that launched the career of the famous Chicago poetess, focused on the aspirations, disappointments, and daily life of those who lived in 1940s [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]. It is long out of print, so you'll likely need to read these poems in a broader collection, such as her ''Selected Poems''.<br />
*Sandra Cisneros' ''The House on Mango Street'' is a Mexican-American coming-of-age novel, dealing with a young Latina girl, Esperanza Cordero, growing up in the Chicago Chicano ghetto.<br />
*Theodore Dreiser's ''Sister Carrie'' is a cornerstone of the turn of the 20th century Chicago Literary Renaissance, a tale of a country girl in the big immoral city, rags-to-riches and back again.<br />
*Stuart Dybek's ''The Coast of Chicago'' is a collection of fourteen marvelous short stories about growing up in Chicago (largely in [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] and [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]]) in a style blending the gritty with the dreamlike.<br />
*John Guzlowski's ''Lightning and Ashes'' chronicles the author's experiences growing up in the immigrant and DP neighborhoods around [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]] in Chicago, talking about Jewish hardware store clerks with Auschwitz tattoos on their wrists, Polish cavalry officers who still mourned for their dead horses, and women who walked from Siberia to Iran to escape the Russians.<br />
*Erik Larson's ''Devil in the White City'' is a best-selling pop history about the 1893 Colombian Exposition; it's also about the serial killer who was stalking the city at the same time. For a straight history of the Exposition and also the workers' paradise in Pullman, try James Gilbert's excellent ''Perfect Cities: Chicago's Utopias of 1893''.<br />
*Audrey Niffenegger's ''The Time-Traveler's Wife'' is a recent love story set in Chicago nightclubs, museums, and libraries.<br />
*Mike Royko's ''Boss'' is the definitive biography of Mayor Richard J. Daley and politics in Chicago, written by the beloved late Tribune columnist. ''American Pharaoh'' (Cohen and Taylor) is a good scholarly treatment of the same subject.<br />
*Carl Sandburg's ''Chicago Poems'' is without a doubt the most famous collection of poems about Chicago by its own &quot;bard of the working class.&quot;<br />
*Upton Sinclair's ''The Jungle'' sits among the canon of both Chicago literature and US labor history for its muckraking-style depiction of the desolation experienced by Lithuanian immigrants working in the Union Stockyards on Chicago's [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]].<br />
*Richard Wright's ''Native Son'' is a classic Chicago neighborhood novel set in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] and [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] about a young, doomed, black boy hopelessly warped by the racism and poverty that defined his surroundings.<br />
<br />
===Movies===<br />
<br />
Chicago is America's third most prolific movie industry and a host of very Chicago-centric movies have been produced here. These are just a few:<br />
<br />
* ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (John Hughes, 1986). The dream of the northern suburbs: to be young, clever, and loose for a day in Chicago. Ferris and friends romp through the old Loop theater district, catch a game at Wrigley Field, and enjoy the sense of invincibility that Chicago shares with its favorite sons when all is well.<br />
* ''Adventures in Babysitting'' (Chris Columbus, 1987). The flip side of Ferris Bueller — the dangers that await the suburbanite in the Loop at night, including memorable trips to lower Michigan Avenue and up close with the Chicago skyline.<br />
* ''The Blues Brothers'' (John Landis, 1980). Probably Chicago's favorite movie about itself: blues music, white men in black suits, a mission from God, the conscience that every Chicago hustler carries without question, and almost certainly the biggest car chase ever filmed.<br />
* ''The Untouchables'' (Brian De Palma, 1987). With a square-jawed screenplay by David Mamet, this is a retelling of Chicago's central fable of good vs. evil: Eliot Ness and the legendary takedown of Al Capone. No film (except perhaps ''The Blues Brothers'') has made a better use of so many Chicago locations, especially Union Station (the baby carriage), the Chicago Cultural Center (the rooftop fight), and the LaSalle Street canyon.<br />
* ''High Fidelity'' (Stephen Frears, 2000). John Cusack reviews failed relationships from high school at Lane Tech to college in Lincoln Park and muses over them in trips through Uptown, River North, all over the city on the CTA, his record store in the rock snob environs of Wicker Park, and returning at last to his record-swamped apartment in Rogers Park.<br />
* ''Batman Begins'' (Christopher Nolan, 2005) and its sequel ''The Dark Knight'' (2008). Making spectacular use of the 'L', the Chicago Board of Trade Building, Chicago skyscrapers, the Loop at night, and lower Wacker Drive, the revived action series finally sets the imposing power and intractable corruption of Gotham City where it belongs, in Chicago.<br />
<br />
Others include Harrison Ford vs. the one-armed man in ''The Fugitive'', the CTA vs. true love in ''While You Were Sleeping'', Autobots vs. Decepticons in ''Transformers 3'', and the greatest Patrick Swayze hillbilly ninja vs. Italian mob film of all time, ''Next of Kin''.<br />
<br />
===Smoking===<br />
<br />
Smoking is prohibited by state law at all restaurants, bars, nightclubs, workplaces, and public buildings. It's also banned within fifteen feet of any entrance, window, or exit to a public place, and at CTA train stations. The fine for violating the ban can range from $100 to $250.<br />
<br />
===Tourist Information===<br />
Chicago's visitor information centers offer maps, brochures and other information.<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Water Works Visitor Information Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;163 E Pearson Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877 244-2246&quot; url=&quot;http://explorechicago.org/city/en/travel_tools/visitor_centers.html&quot; hours=&quot;M-Th 8AM-7PM, F 8AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10AM-6PM (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day)&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;The city's main visitor information center is located on the Magnificent Mile in the historic Pumping Station, across the street from the Water Tower. In addition to extensive free visitor materials, there is a small cafe and a Hot Tix window for discount theater tickets.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;77 E Randolph St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 744-8000&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://explorechicago.org/city/en/travel_tools/visitor_centers.html&quot; hours=&quot;M-Th 8AM-7PM, F 8AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10AM-6PM (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day)&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;A centrally located place to pick up a host of useful, free materials. The Cultural Center itself makes a good first stop on your tour, with free, worthwhile art and historical exhibits throughout the year.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
==Get in==<br />
[[Image:Chicago overview map.png|thumb|400px|]]<br />
===By plane===<br />
<br />
Chicago ({{IATA|CHI}} for [[Metropolitan Area Airport Codes|all airports]]) is served by two major airports: '''O'Hare International Airport''' [http://ohare.com] and '''Midway Airport''' [http://flychicago.com/midway/midwayHomepage.shtm]. There are plenty of taxis both to and from the city center, but they are quite expensive, especially during rush hours. Expect upwards of $40 for O'Hare and $30 for Midway. CTA trains provide direct service to both larger airports for $2.25 from anywhere in the city — faster than a taxi during rush hour and a lot less expensive.<br />
<br />
Many large hotels offer complimentary shuttle vans to one or both airports, or can arrange one for a charge ($15-25) with advance notice.<br />
<br />
====O'Hare====<br />
<br />
'''[[O'Hare International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|ORD}}, {{ICAO|KORD}}) is 17 miles northwest of downtown and serves many international and domestic carriers. '''United Airlines''' [http://united.com] has the largest presence here (about 50%) followed by '''American Airlines''' [http://aa.com] with about 40%. Most connecting flights for smaller cities in the Midwest run through O'Hare. It's one of the biggest airports in the world, and it has always been notorious for delays and cancellations. Unfortunately, it's too far northwest for most travelers who get stuck overnight to head into the city. As a result, there are ''plenty'' of hotels in the O'Hare area. See the [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] article for listings.<br />
<br />
The CTA Blue Line runs between the Loop and O'Hare every 15 minutes 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. A lot of repair work has been completed on the Blue line and the trip from O'Hare to the Loop now takes 35-50 minutes. The O'Hare station is the end of the line and is essentially in the basement of O'Hare airport. Walking from the platform to the ticket counters should take 5-10 minutes for Terminals 2 or 3, slightly more for Terminal 1, and a great deal longer for the International Terminal 5 (It is necessary to take the free people mover for transfer).<br />
<br />
====Midway====<br />
<br />
'''[[Chicago/Southwest Side#By plane|Midway International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|MDW}}, {{ICAO|KMDW}}) is ten miles southwest of downtown. '''Southwest Airlines''' [http://southwest.com] is the largest carrier here, followed by '''AirTran''' [http://airtran.com]. If it's an option for your trip, Midway is more compact, less crowded, has fewer delays, and usually cheaper. And, of course, it's significantly closer to downtown.<br />
<br />
The CTA Orange Line train runs between the Loop and Midway in around 25 minutes. Keep in mind that the CTA Midway Station is at the end of the Orange Line. There is an enclosed tunnel that links the station and airport but it takes approximately 10-15 minutes to walk from one to the other. There are a number of hotels clustered around Midway, too — see the [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Sleep|Southwest Side]] article for listings.<br />
<br />
====Others====<br />
<br />
'''Chicago Executive Airport''' ({{IATA|PWK}}, {{ICAO|KPWK}}) is nine miles north of O'Hare, serves the general and business aviation sector, and is the third busiest airport in Illinois. Approximately three hundred aircraft are based on the field and approximately 200,000 take-offs and landings occur annually. Air taxi and air charter companies such as '''Jetset Charter''' [http://www.jscharter.com] fly a variety of private charter aircraft and jets, from charter luxury Gulfstream's down to economical piston twins for small groups and individuals.<br />
<br />
[[Milwaukee]]'s '''General Mitchell International Airport''' [http://mitchellairport.com] ({{IATA|MKE}}, {{ICAO|KMKE}}) is served by 7 Amtrak trains per day (6 on Sunday), and the Hiawatha Service has a 95% on-time rating. The trip from Chicago Union Station to Mitchell Airport Station is about one hour and 15 minutes. There are also buses from Mitchell Airport to Chicago OHare Airport.<br />
<br />
===By bus===<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Greyhound&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;630 W Harrison St&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 408-5800&quot; url=&quot;http://greyhound.com&quot; hours=&quot;24 hours&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt; America's largest bus carrier offers service to destinations throughout the Midwest. The main terminal is near the southwestern corner of the Loop. There are secondary terminals at the CTA Red Line station at 95th/Dan Ryan and the CTA transit building (5800 N Cumberland).&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Indian Trails&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;at the Greyhound Station&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://indiantrails.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt; Frequent daily service to Michigan's Upper Peninsula via Wisconsin. Onward connections are available. Buses have Wi-Fi and power outlets.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Megabus&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;East across Canal St from Union Station&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877 462-6342&quot; url=&quot;http://megabus.com/us&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;Detroit $1-50 / Milwaukee $1-20 / Minneapolis $1-52&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Daily service across the [[Midwest]] with destinations from [[Memphis]] to [[Minneapolis]]. Buses have Wi-Fi and 110v outlets. &lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Wisconsin Coach&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;O'Hare Airport&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877-324-7767&quot; url=&quot;http://wisconsincoach.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;ORD: $26&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Offers 14 buses daily, departing every hour, from O'Hare to Southeastern Wisconsin and Milwaukee, including Milwaukee Airport.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
===By train===<br />
[[Image:Union Station steps.jpg|thumb|300px|Hold on to your baby carriages in Union Station!]]<br />
<br />
Chicago is historically the rail hub of the entire United States. Today, '''Amtrak''' [http://amtrak.com], ☎ +1 800 872-7245, uses the magisterial '''Union Station''' (Canal St and Jackson Blvd) as the hub of its Midwestern routes, making Chicago one of the most convenient U.S. cities to visit by train, serving the majority of the passenger rail company's long-distance routes, with options from virtually every major US city. With its massive main hall, venerable history, and cinematic steps, Union Station is worth a visit even if you're not coming in by train. <br />
<br />
Most (but not all) Metra suburban trains run from Union Station and nearby '''Ogilvie/Northwestern Station''' (Canal St and Madison St), which are west of the Loop. Some southern lines run from stations on the east side of the Loop. The suburban trains run as far as [[Kenosha]], [[Aurora]], and [[Joliet]], while the South Shore line runs through [[Indiana]] as far as [[South Bend]]. Several CTA buses converge upon the two stations, and the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] CTA trains are within walking distance.<br />
<br />
===By car===<br />
<br />
Chicagoans have a maddening habit of referring to some expressways by their names, not the numbers used to identify them on the signs you'll see posted on the U.S. interstate highway system, so you'll have to commit both name and number to memory. '''I-55''' (the '''Stevenson Expressway''') will take you directly from [[St. Louis]] into downtown Chicago. '''I-90/94''' ('''The Dan Ryan''') comes in from [[Indiana]] to the east (via the '''Chicago Skyway''' and '''Bishop Ford Freeway''') and from central [[Illinois]] (via '''I-57'''). '''I-90''' ('''The Kennedy''') comes in from [[Madison (Wisconsin)|Madison]] to the northwest. '''I-94''' (the '''Edens Expressway''') comes in from [[Milwaukee]] to the north, but recent roadwork has slowed traffic considerably compared to I-90. '''I-80''' will get you to the city from [[Iowa]] which neighbors Illinois to the west.<br />
<br />
If arriving downtown from Indiana, from the south on '''I-94''' or '''I-90''', or from the north, Lake Shore Drive ('''U.S. Highway 41''') provides a scenic introduction in both directions, day or night. If arriving on '''I-55''' from the southwest, or on '''I-290''' (the '''Eisenhower Expressway''', formerly and sometimes still called '''The Congress Expressway''') from the west, the skyline may also be visible from certain clear spots, but without the shore view. It should also be noted that I-55 from the southwest and I-90 through much of northwest Indiana are chock full of heavy industries with odors that'll knock your socks off, so plan your route downtown wisely.<br />
<br />
==Get around==<br />
[[Image:CTA_L map.png|thumb|400px|CTA trains route map]]<br />
<br />
Navigating Chicago is easy. Block numbers are consistent across the whole city. Standard blocks, of 100 addresses each, are roughly 1/8th of a mile long. (Hence, a mile is equivalent to a street number difference of 800.) Each street is assigned a number based on its distance from the zero point of the address system, the intersection of State Street and Madison Street. A street with a W (west) or E (east) number runs north-south, while a street with a N (north) or S (south) number runs east-west. A street's number is usually written on street signs at intersections, below the street name. Major thoroughfares are at each mile (multiples of 800) and secondary arteries at the half-mile marks. Thus, Western Ave at 2400 W is a north-south major thoroughfare, while Montrose Ave at 4400 N is an east-west secondary artery. <br />
<br />
In general, &quot;avenues&quot; run north-south and &quot;streets&quot; run east-west, but there are numerous exceptions. (e.g., 48th Street may then be followed by 48th Place). In conversation, however, Chicagoans rarely distinguish between streets, avenues, boulevards, etc. <br />
<br />
Several streets follow diagonal or meandering paths through the city such as Clark St, Lincoln Ave, Broadway, Milwaukee Ave, Ogden Ave, Archer Ave, Vincennes Ave, and South Chicago Ave. <br />
<br />
===By public transit===<br />
The best way to see Chicago is by public transit. It is cheap (basically), efficient (at times), and safe (for the most part). The '''Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)''' [http://rtachicago.com/] oversees the various public transit agencies in the [[Chicagoland]] area. You can plan trips online with the RTA '''trip planner''' [http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/] or get assistance by calling 836-7000 in any local area code between 5AM-1AM. The RTA also has an official partnership with Google Maps, which can provide routes with public transit.<br />
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====CTA====<br />
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The '''Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)''' [http://transitchicago.com/] operates trains and buses in the city of Chicago and some of the suburbs. Put simply, the CTA ''is'' Chicago. It is a marvel and a beast, convenient, frustrating, and irreplaceable. Even if you have the option of driving while you're in town, no experience of Chicago is complete without a trip on the CTA.<br />
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Fares are paid with '''transit cards''', which can be purchased and re-filled at kiosks in the lobby of every CTA station. All accept cash, and some accept credit cards. Many locals use the '''Chicago Card''', which cannot be purchased at stations, but can be ordered online [http://chicago-card.com] and also purchased at grocery stores and currency exchanges. '''Visitor passes''' are sold for unlimited travel on the CTA and Pace: 1 Day (24 hours) for $5.75; 3 Days for $14; 7 Days for $23 and 30 Days for $86. These passes are on sale at certain train stations (notably, the O'Hare Blue Line station), currency exchanges and some convenience stores, and online [http://transitchicago.com/fares_gifts]. Transit cards for single rides or larger increments can also be purchased online. <br />
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Train rides of any length, from one side of the city to another or just one stop, cost $2.25. At certain stations, you can transfer to other train lines at no extra cost. Once you have exited the turnstiles, entering another CTA station or boarding a CTA bus costs $0.25 — and doing it a third time is free, provided it's still within two hours of when you started the trip.<br />
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Locals refer to Chicago's public train system as the &quot;L&quot;. (Most lines run on '''el'''-evated tracks — get it?) All train lines radiate from the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] to every corner of the city. The &quot;Loop&quot; name originally referred to a surface-level streetcar loop, which pre-dated the elevated tracks; that ''any'' form of transportation preceded the present one may come as a surprise, given how old some of the stations look. But they work.<br />
[[Image:Ctabus.jpg|thumb|240px|A CTA bus - note the number/destination and symbol for wheelchair accessibility]]<br />
CTA train lines are divided by colors: Red, Green, Brown, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Orange and Pink. All lines lead to the Loop except the Yellow Line, which is a nonstop shuttle between the suburb of [[Skokie]] and the northern border of Chicago. The Red and Blue lines run 24/7, making Chicago one of only two American cities with 24-hour rail service. Hours for the other lines vary somewhat by day, but as a general rule are from about 4:30AM-12:40AM, slightly later on weekends.<br />
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Before you travel, find out the name of the train stop closest to your destination, and the color of the train line on which it is located. Once you're on-board, you'll find route maps in each train car, above the door. The same map is also available online [http://transitchicago.com/maps/maps/fwebmaptrain.gif]. The name signs on platforms often have the station's location in the street grid, e.g. &quot;5900 N, 1200 W&quot; for Thorndale.<br />
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There should be an attendant on duty at every train station. They can't provide change or deal with money, but they can help you figure out where you need to go and guide you through using the machines.<br />
[[Image:Chicagobusstop.jpg|thumb|200px|A CTA bus stop - note the symbols for wheelchair accessibility and late-night hours]]<br />
'''Buses''' run on nearly every major street in the city. Look for the blue and white sign, which should give a map of the route taken by the bus and major streets/stops along the way. Once inside, watch the front of the bus — a red LED display will list the names of the streets as they pass, making it easy to stop exactly where you'd like, even if it's a small side-street. To request a stop, pull the cord hanging above the window and make sure you hear an audible 'ding'. Hollering at the bus driver will raise tempers but works in a pinch.<br />
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Rides of any length cost $2 with a transit card or Chicago Card, and $2.25 in cash. Major bus routes run 7-15 minutes apart during daylight hours, depending on the route. Less-traveled routes or routes during off-peak hours may run less frequently. Check the sign to be sure the bus is still running. There are several bus routes that are on a 24 hour/7 day a week schedule — these are called OWL routes, and the signs usually have an owl to belabor that point. (See individual district articles for major bus routes through different parts of the city.)<br />
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If you have a web-enabled mobile device, the CTA runs a little godsend called the '''CTA Bus Tracker''' [http://ctabustracker.com/bustime/home.jsp], which uses GPS to provide reliable, real-time tracking information for almost all bus routes. If your mobile phone doesn't have internet service, you can use '''CTA By Text''' [http://ctabytext.com] to receive bus arrival times via text message.<br />
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CTA buses accept transit cards but do not sell them. They also accept cash, but do not provide change. If you overpay, the CTA keeps the extra cash, so carry exact change.<br />
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In compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, all CTA buses and some train stations are accessible to wheelchairs. Wheelchair-accessible 'L' stations are indicated by the international wheelchair symbol and have elevators or are at ground level. If you are trying to get to a place with a non-accessible station, there will be alternate routes by bus — contact the CTA for more information.<br />
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Crime on the CTA is low, but as with any major urban area, travelers should be aware of their surroundings when traveling in the wee hours of the night, and sit close to the driver if you feel uncomfortable for any reason. Buses are being equipped with video cameras as the fleet is upgraded. Some train cars have a button and speaker for emergency communication with the driver, located in the center aisle of the car on the wall next to the door. Do not press this just to chat — the driver is required to halt the train until the situation has been confirmed as resolved, and your fellow passengers will be unamused.<br />
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====Metra and South Shore====<br />
[[Image:Chicago_metra_near_the_loop.jpg|thumb|250px|Metra train on the way to the Loop]]<br />
[[Image:Metra map.png|thumb|420px|Metra system map]]<br />
'''Metra''' [http://metrarail.com/], ☎ +1 312 322-6777, runs commuter trains for the suburbs, providing service within Illinois, to [[Kenosha]], [[Wisconsin]], out west, and to the South Shore railroad, which provides service to [[South Bend]], [[Indiana]]. Metra trains are fast, clean, and punctual, but unpleasantly crowded during rush hour. Generally, every car or every other car on the train has a bathroom.<br />
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Metra's '''Electric Line''' provides service to the [[Chicago/Near South|convention center]] (McCormick Place), [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] (Museum of Science and Industry, University of Chicago), and the [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]'s Pullman Historic District and Rainbow Beach. The Electric Line is ''fast'', taking at most 15 minutes to reach Hyde Park from the Loop. Unfortunately, service outside of rush hours is infrequent (about once/hour), so be sure to check the schedules while planning your trip.<br />
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Although there are plans to change this in the future, none of the commuter trains currently accept CTA transit cards as payment. The fare to McCormick Place and Hyde Park, however, is only $2. Buy your tickets before boarding the train at a window or one of the automated vending machines. You can buy a ticket on the train, but that comes with an extra $2/ticket surcharge.<br />
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Ten-ride, weekly, and monthly passes are available. If you have a group of four or more people, it may be cheaper to purchase a ten-ride card and have all of your fares punched from that one card. If using Metra on Saturday and/or Sunday, you can purchase an unlimited ride weekend pass for just $7. Keep in mind that Metra only accepts cash at this time.<br />
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====Pace====<br />
'''Pace''' [http://pacebus.com/] runs buses in the suburbs, although some routes do cross into the city, particularly in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] at the Howard (Red/Purple/Yellow Line) CTA station and the [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]] at the Jefferson Park (Blue Line) CTA station. Pace provides paratransit services should you need to go somewhere inconvenient via CTA.<br />
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===By car===<br />
Avoid driving in downtown Chicago if at all possible. Traffic is awful, pedestrians are constantly wandering into the street out of turn, and garages in the Loop can cost as much as $40 per day. And although downtown streets are laid out on the grid, many have multiple levels which confuse even the most hardened city driver. Even outside of the city center, street parking may not be readily available. If you do find a spot, check street signs to make sure that a) no residential permit is required to park here and b) parking is not disallowed during certain hours for &quot;street cleaning&quot;, rush hour or something along those lines. Parking restrictions are swiftly and mercilessly enforced in the form of tickets and towing — be especially wary during snowy weather.<br />
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Parking is handled by one-per-block kiosks, which will issue a slip for you to put in your front window. The kiosks will accept cash or credit cards. If the kiosk fails for any reason (such as the printer running out of paper), there should be a phone number to call to report it and ensure you don't receive an undeserved ticket. As you do, any passing Chicagoan will be happy to commiserate about how badly the city bungled privatizing the parking meters.<br />
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Be advised: '''talking on a handheld cell phone while driving is illegal''' in Chicago, and the police are eager to write tickets for it. If you need to take a call, use a hands-free headset — or better yet, pull over.<br />
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The perpetual construction is bad enough, but drivers on the city expressways can be very aggressive. For those used to driving on expressways in the Northeast, this may be a welcome reminder of home. For everyone else, though, it can be intimidating.<br />
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===By taxi===<br />
{{infobox|Your Name Here|Determined to shake off the burden of a world-class cultural heritage, Chicago has always found ways to undercut its own treasures in exchange for a quick buck. Of late, &quot;naming rights&quot; are all the rage; while official city tourism guides rush to comply, using the new names will earn an eye roll or an oblivious look from most Chicagoans (and cab drivers). A few of the worst offenders:<br />
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* '''Sears Tower''' — 36 years after it was built, North America's tallest building was redubbed the &quot;Willis Tower&quot; for a bunch of junk bond traders; even more surprising than the renaming was how little the owners got for it.<br />
* '''Comiskey Park''' — Winning the city's first World Series in nearly a century helped earn some acceptance for the &quot;U.S. Cellular Field&quot; (&quot;The Cell&quot;) moniker, but it's still regarded as profanity by the old-timers in [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]], where the first Comiskey Park was built in 1910.<br />
* '''Hollywood Beach''' — The favorite beach of Chicago's GLBT community was renamed &quot;Kathy Osterman Beach&quot; for one of the mayor's [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Edgewater]] based political cronies, but more than a decade later, only city signage knows it by that name.}}<br />
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Chicago has some of the cheapest taxi fares in the U.S. Taxis can be hailed from the street throughout the major tourist areas, and are strictly regulated by the city. Fares are standard and the initial charge (&quot;flag pull&quot;) is $2.25 for the first 1/9 mile, then $0.20 for each additional 1/9 mile or $0.20 for each elapsed 36 seconds. There is a $1.00 fuel surcharge added to the initial charge. There is also a flat $1.00 charge for the second passenger, and then a $0.50 charge for each additional passenger after that (for example, if four people take a taxi together, there will be $2.00 in additional flat fees). There is no additional charge for baggage or credit card use. Rides from [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side#By plane|Midway]] to outer suburbs cost an additional one half the metered fee. Give the driver the nearest major intersection to which you are heading (if you know it) and then the specific address.<br />
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Outside of the downtown, North Side, Near West and Near South neighborhoods, you will likely have greater difficulty hailing a taxi directly from the street. In these situations, you can call for a taxi to come pick you up. Taxis typically take 10-15 minutes from the time you call to arrive. The principal companies are:<br />
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*'''American-United Taxi''', ☎ +1 773 248-7600<br />
*'''Checker Cab''', ☎ +1 312 243-2537<br />
*'''Flash Cab''', ☎ +1 773 561-1444 [http://flashcab.com/]<br />
*'''Yellow Cab''', ☎ +1 312 829-4222 [http://yellowcabchicago.com/]<br />
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The above applies only to Chicago taxis. Suburban taxi cabs have their own fares and rates, depending on the laws and regulations of the town in which they are based.<br />
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===By bicycle===<br />
Chicago has a bike path along the shores of Lake Michigan, making north-south travel very convenient as long as the weather is favorable by the lake. Most major city streets have bike lanes, and the biking culture is established enough that cars tend to accommodate and (grudgingly) yield to bicycles. Bike trips can also be combined with rides on the CTA. See the [[Chicago#Bicycles|bicycling section]] below for more details.<br />
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===By water taxi===<br />
In the summer, water taxis are sometimes more convenient than the CTA, if you are traveling around the fringes of downtown. They are also a relatively cheap way to take in some offshore views. Two private companies operate water taxi services around the Loop. <br />
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'''Chicago Water Taxi''' (''Wendella Boats'') [http://chicagowatertaxi.com/] ☎ +1 312 337-1446, uses yellow boats and has three stops (Michigan Ave, LaSalle/Clark, Madison St), plus Chinatown on weekends ($2, $4 Chinatown/all day pass). Taxis run roughly M-F 6:30AM-6:30PM, Sa-Su 10:30AM-6:30PM. <br />
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'''Shoreline Sightseeing''' [http://shorelinesightseeing.com/watertaximap.html] ☎ +1 312 222-9328, has blue and white boats. It is more expensive ($5-7), but it serves seven destinations including some on Lake Michigan (Union Station/Sears Tower, Wells &amp; Wacker, Michigan Ave Bridge, Navy Pier-Ogden Slip, Navy Pier-Dock St, Buckingham Fountain, and Museum Campus). Shoreline taxis run 10AM-6PM every twenty minutes and 6PM-9PM every half hour Memorial Day–Labor Day, with occasional and less frequent service in the spring and fall.<br />
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==See==<br />
&lt;!-- This section is for general Chicago topics. Listings for individual attractions should go in the appropriate district articles, listed above --&gt;<br />
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===Itineraries===<br />
* [[Along the Magnificent Mile]] — one day and night in Chicago, with skyscrapers, shopping, food, parks, and amazing views of the city from high and low.<br />
* [[Loop Art Tour]] — a 2-4 hour walking tour of downtown Chicago's magnificent collection of modern sculpture.<br />
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===Museums===<br />
[[Image:Lincolnparkzoo.jpg|thumb|240px|Penguin triumphant, Lincoln Park Zoo]]<br />
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Chicago's set of museums and cultural institutions are among the best in the world. Three of them are located within a short walk of each other in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]], on what is known as the '''Museum Campus''', in a beautiful spot along the lake: the '''Adler Planetarium''', with all sorts of cool hands-on space exhibits and astronomy shows; the '''Field Museum of Natural History''', which features '''SUE''', the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, and a plethora of Egyptian treasures; and the '''Shedd Aquarium''', with dolphins, whales, sharks, and the best collection of marine life east of California. A short distance away, in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], is the most fun of them all, the '''Museum of Science and Industry''' — or, as generations of Chicago-area grammar school students know it, the best field trip ever.<br />
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In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], the '''Art Institute of Chicago''' has a handful of iconic household names among an unrivaled collection of Impressionism, modern and classical art, and tons of historical artifacts. And in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], a short trip from the Loop, the cheerful (and free) '''Lincoln Park Zoo''' welcomes visitors every day of the week, with plentiful highlights like the Regenstein Center for African Apes.<br />
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Also, Chicago has some knockout less well-known museums scattered throughout the city like the '''International Museum of Surgical Science''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Gold Coast]], '''Chicago History Museum''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park|Lincoln Park]], '''DuSable Museum of African American History''' in [[Chicago/Washington Park|Washington Park]], '''National Museum of Mexican Art''' in [[Pilsen]], the '''Polish Museum of America''' in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], and the '''Museum of Photography''' in the Loop. The University of Chicago, in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], has several cool (and free) museums that are open to all visitors, showcasing a spectacular collection of antiquities and modern/contemporary art.<br />
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Discount packages like the '''Chicago CityPASS''' [http://www.citypass.com/chicago/] can be purchased before you arrive in town. They cover admission to some museums and other tourist attractions, allowing you to cut to the front of lines, and may include discounts for restaurants and shopping. Also, programs such as Bank of America's Museums to Go offer free admission at multiple Chicago museums for designated times which can save you a small fortune on admission fees.<br />
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===Architecture===<br />
{{web|''See the [[Chicago skyline guide]] to find out more about the city's skyscrapers.''}}<br />
[[Image:Prairie School Style Home.JPG|thumb|300px|Prairie School Style Home, [[Oak Park]]]]<br />
From the sternly classical to the space-age, from the Gothic to the coolly modern, Chicago is a place with an embarrassment of architectural riches. '''Frank Lloyd Wright''' fans will swoon to see his earliest buildings in Chicago, where he began his professional career and established the Prairie School architectural style, with numerous homes in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], [[Oak Park]], and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] — over 100 buildings in the Chicago metropolitan area! Frank Lloyd Wright learned his craft at the foot of the ''lieber meister'', '''Louis Sullivan''', whose ornate, awe-inspiring designs were once the jewels of the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and whose few surviving buildings (Auditorium Theater, Carson Pirie Scott Building, one in the [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]]) still stand apart. <br />
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The 1871 Chicago Fire forced the city to rebuild. The ingenuity and ambition of Sullivan, his teacher '''William Le Baron Jenney''' (Manhattan Building), and contemporaries like '''Burnham &amp; Root''' (Monadnock, Rookery) and '''Holabird &amp; Roche/Root''' (Chicago Board of Trade) made Chicago the definitive city of their era. The world's first '''skyscrapers''' were built in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] as those architects received ever more demanding commissions. It was here that steel-frame construction was invented, allowing buildings to rise above the limits of load-bearing walls. Later, '''Mies van der Rohe''' would adapt Sullivan's ethos with landmark buildings in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] (Illinois Institute of Technology) and the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] (Chicago Federal Center). Unfortunately, Chicago's world-class architectural heritage is almost evenly matched by the world-class recklessness with which the city has treated it, and the list is long of masterpieces that have been needlessly demolished for bland new structures.<br />
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Today, Chicago boasts three out of America's five tallest buildings: the '''[[Chicago/Loop#See|Sears Tower]]''' (1st), the [[Chicago/Near North#See|Trump Tower]] (2nd), and the Aon Center (5th) (although the local favorite is actually #6: the [[Chicago/Near North#See|John Hancock Center]]). For years, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world, but it has since lost the title. Various developers insist they're bringing the title back with proposed skyscrapers. Until they do, Chicago will have to settle for having the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere with the Sears Tower, although the Hancock has a better view and is quite frankly better-looking.<br />
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Chicago is particularly noted for its vast array of '''sacred architecture''', as diverse theologically as it is artistically. There were more than two thousand churches in Chicago at the opening of the twenty-first century. Of particular note are the so-called ''Polish Cathedrals'' like '''[[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown#See|St. Mary of the Angels]]''' in [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] and '''[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side#See|St. Hyacinth Basilica]]''' in [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Avondale]], as well as several treasures in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]] — beautifully crafted buildings with old world flourishes recognized for their unusually large size and impressive scope.<br />
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Architectural tours cover the landmarks on foot and by popular river boat tours, or by just standing awestruck on a downtown bridge over the Chicago River; see individual district articles for details. For a tour on the cheap, the short trip around the elevated Loop train circuit (Brown/Purple Lines) may be worth every penny of the $2 fare.<br />
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===African-American history===<br />
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Chicago's African-American history begins with the city's African-American founder, '''Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable'''. Born to a Haitian slave and a French pirate, he married a woman from the Potawatomi tribe, and built a house and trading post on the Chicago River on the spot of today's Pioneer Court (the square just south of the Tribune Tower in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]). Du Sable lived on the Chicago River with his family from the 1770s to 1800, when he sold his house to John Kinzie, whose family and friends would later claim to have founded the city.<br />
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Relative to other northern cities, African-Americans constituted a fairly large part of Chicago's early population because of Illinois' more tolerant culture, which was inherited from fervent anti-slavery Mormon settlers. As a non-slave state generally lacking official segregation laws, Illinois was an attractive place to live for black freedmen and fugitive slaves. <br />
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By the 1920s, Chicago had a thriving middle class African-American community based in the [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] neighborhood, which at the time became known as &quot;The Black Metropolis,&quot; home to a cultural renaissance comparable to the better-known Harlem Renaissance of New York. African-American literature of the time was represented by local poetess '''Gwendolyn Brooks''' and novelist '''Richard Wright''', most famous for his ''Native Son'', nearly all of which takes place in Chicago's [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] and [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]]. The Chicago school of African-American literature distinguished itself from the East Coast by its focus on the new realities of urban African-American life. Chicago became a ''major'' center of African-American jazz, and ''the'' center for the blues. Jazz great '''Louis Armstrong''' got his start there; other famous black Chicagoans of the day included Bessie Coleman — the world's first licensed black pilot, the hugely influential African-American and women's civil rights activist '''Ida B. Wells''', the great pitcher/manager/executive of Negro League Baseball '''Andrew &quot;Rube&quot; Foster''', and many more.<br />
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Both fueling and threatening Chicago's black renaissance was the single most influential part of Chicago's African-American history: '''the Great Migration'''. African-Americans from the rural [[South (United States of America)|South]] moved to the industrial cities of the North due to the post-WWI shortage of immigrant industrial labor, and to escape the Jim Crow Laws and racial violence of the South. The massive wave of migrants, most from [[Mississippi]], increased Chicago's black population by more than 500,000. With it came southern food, Mississippi blues, and the challenges of establishing adequate housing for so many recent arrivals — a challenge that they would have to meet themselves, without help from a racist and neglectful city government.<br />
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Black Chicago's renaissance was brought to its knees by the Great Depression; its fate was sealed ironically by the 1937 creation of the Chicago Housing Authority, which sought to build affordable public housing for the city. However well-intentioned the project may have sounded, the results were disastrous. The largest housing projects by far were the 1940 Ida B. Wells projects, which were designed to &quot;warehouse&quot; Chicago's population of poor African-Americans in a district far away from white population centers, the Cabrini Green projects, which developed a reputation as the most violent housing projects in the nation, and the massive 1962 Robert Taylor Homes in Bronzeville, which were forced to house an additional 16,000 people beyond their intended 11,000 capacity. The Black Metropolis proved unable to cope with this massive influx of new, impoverished residents, and the urban blight that came from concentrating such a great number of them in one place. <br />
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Further damaging to Chicago's black population was the phenomenon of &quot;white flight&quot; that accompanied the introduction of African-Americans to Chicago neighborhoods. Unwilling to live beside black neighbors, many Chicagoans fled desegregation to the suburbs. This trend was accelerated by the practice of &quot;blockbusting,&quot; where unsavory real estate agents would fan racist fears in order to buy homes on the cheap. As a result, Chicago neighborhoods (with the notable exceptions of [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]) never truly integrated, and the social, educational, and economic networks that incoming African-Americans hoped to join disintegrated in the wake of fleeing white communities. During this period, Chicago experienced a huge population loss and large sections of the city became covered with vacant lots, which in turn created the conditions for crime to flourish. A number of Chicago's major roads, most notably the Dan Ryan Expressway, were built in part to segregate these areas from more prosperous ones like the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]].<br />
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In 1966, '''Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.''' decided to come north and chose Chicago as his first destination. However, from the moment of his arrival on the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]], King was utterly confounded. The death threats that followed his march through Marquette Park were challenge enough, but nowhere in the South was there a more expert player of politics than Chicago's Mayor Richard J. Daley. King left town frustrated and exhausted, but '''Rev. Jesse Jackson''' continued civil rights efforts in Chicago through his Operation PUSH. The 1983 election of '''Mayor Harold Washington''', the first black mayor of Chicago, was a watershed event for Chicago's African-American population, and although long battles with obstructionist white politicians lay ahead, it marked the moment when African-American elected officials became major, independent forces in Chicago.<br />
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Today, with a plurality of nearly 40%, Chicago's black population is the country's second largest, after New York. The broader South Side is the cultural center of Chicago's black community; it constitutes the largest single African-American neighborhood in the country and boasts the nation's greatest concentration of black-owned businesses. Chicagoans ignorant of these areas may tell you that they are dangerous and crime-ridden, but the reality is much more complex. There are strong, middle and upper class black communities throughout the city, some of the more prominent of which include [[Chicago/Bronzeville|upper Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|South Shore]], and [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Beverly]]. <br />
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[[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] is the obvious destination for those interested in African-American history, although Kenwood also boasts interesting recent history, as it has been (or is) home to championship boxer Muhammad Ali, Nation of Islam leaders Elijah Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan, and '''President Barack Obama'''. No one should miss the '''DuSable Museum of African-American History''' in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], the first museum of African-American history in the United States. And if your interest is more precisely in African-American culture than history, head down to [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham and South Shore]] to enter the heart of Chicago's black community.<br />
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===Ethnic neighborhoods===<br />
[[Image:Chinatown%2C_Wentworth_Ave.jpg|thumb|300px|Wentworth Ave, Chinatown's main street]]<br />
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Chicago is among the most diverse cities in America, and many neighborhoods reflect the character and culture of the immigrants who established them. Some, however, do more than just reflect: they ''absorb'' you in a place that, for several blocks at a time, may as well be a chunk of another country, picked up and dropped near the shores of Lake Michigan. The best of Chicago's ethnic neighborhoods are completely uncompromised, and that makes them a real highlight for visitors.<br />
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Chicago's [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Chinatown]] is among the most active Chinatowns in the world. It even has its own stop on the CTA Red Line. It's on the South Side near [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]], birthplace of the Irish political power-brokers who have run Chicago government for most of the last century. More Irish communities exist on the [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Far Southwest Side]], where they even have an Irish castle to seal the deal. The [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]] houses enormous populations of Polish Highlanders and Mexicans, as well as reduced Lithuanian and Bohemian communities.<br />
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No serious Chicago gourmand would eat Indian food that didn't come from a restaurant on '''Devon Avenue''' in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]. It's paradise for spices, saris, and the latest Bollywood flicks. Lawrence Avenue in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Albany Park]] is sometimes called '''Seoul Drive''' for the Korean community there, and the Persian food on Kedzie Avenue nearby is simply astonishing. At the '''Argyle''' Red Line stop, by the intersection of Argyle and Broadway in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]], you'd be forgiven for wondering if you were still in America; Vietnamese, Thais, and Laotians share space on a few blocks of restaurants, grocery stores, and even dentists. Neither the Swedish settlers who built [[Chicago/Uptown|Andersonville]] or the Germans from [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]] are the dominant presence in those neighborhoods any more, but their identity is still present in restaurants, cultural centers, and other small discoveries to be made. Likewise, '''Little Italy''' and '''Greektown''' on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] survive only as restaurant strips. <br />
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A more contemporary experience awaits in [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] and [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]], two neighborhoods on the Lower West Side where the Spanish signage outnumbers the English; in fact, Chicago has the second largest Mexican and Puerto Rican populations outside of their respective home countries. Pilsen and its arts scene is an especially an exciting place to visit.<br />
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It's hard to imagine displacement being a concern for the Polish community on the city's [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest]] sides. The '''Belmont-Central''' business district is what you might consider the epicenter of Polish activity,. Bars, restaurants, and dozens of other types of Polish businesses thrive on this strip, and on a smaller section of Milwaukee Avenue (between Roscoe and Diversey) in the vicinity of ''St. Hyacinth Basilica'' which bears the Polish name of '''Jackowo'''- [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Chicago's Polish Village]]. Polish Highlanders, or Górals, on the other hand dominate the city's [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]] with a cuisine and culture that is decidedly Balkan. A host of restaurants and cultural institutions visibly display the rustic touch of their Carpathian craft such as the '''Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America''' at Archer Avenue just northeast of its intersection with Pulaski Road.'''Taste of Polonia''', held over Labor Day weekend on the grounds of the Copernicus Foundation at the historic '''[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Gateway Theatre]]''', draws an annual attendance of about 50,000 people and is touted as the city's largest ethnic fest.<br />
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==Do==<br />
&lt;!-- This section is for general Chicago topics. Listings for individual attractions should go in the appropriate district articles, listed above --&gt;<br />
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===Beaches=== <br />
Chicago is not known as a beach destination, but Lake Michigan is the largest freshwater lake located entirely within the United States, and Chicagoans flock to its sandy shores. Anyone can show up and swim — there are no admission fees, miles of beaches are within walking distance of the Red Line, and almost none of the lakefront is spoiled by &quot;private&quot; beaches. Despite the latitude, the water is quite warm in the summer and early fall {{web|(check with the NOAA for temperatures [http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/lmofs/fore_temp.shtml]) }}. The Chicago shore has been called the second cleanest urban waterfront ''in the world'', although bacteria levels in the water do force occasional — but rare — beach closures (which are clearly posted at the beach, and online [http://chicagoparkdistrict.com/resources/beaches/]). Lifeguards will be posted (usually in a rowboat) if the beach is officially open.<br />
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Oak Street Beach and North Avenue Beach (in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] and [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]]) are the fashionable places to sun-tan and be seen, but [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] has mile after mile of less pretentious sand and surf. [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park's]] Promontory Point is beautiful, and offers skyline views from its submerged beach by the rocks (although a swim there is ''technically'' against city rules). Hollywood Beach in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Edgewater]] is the main gay beach.<br />
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===Parks===<br />
[[Image:Jackson Park, Osaka Garden.jpg|thumb|240px|The Osaka Garden on Jackson Park's Wooded Isle]]<br />
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Where there are beaches, there are lakefront parks. During the summer months, the parks are a destination for organized and impromptu volleyball and soccer games, chess matches, and plenty more, with tennis and basketball courts dotted along the way. <br />
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There are also terrific parks further away from the lake. In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], '''Grant Park''' hosts music festivals throughout the year, and '''Millennium Park''' is a fun destination for all ages, especially during the summer. In [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], '''Midway Park''' offers skating, and summer and winter gardens in the shadow of the academic giant, the University of Chicago, and '''Jackson Park''' has golf, more gardens and the legacy of the city's shining moment, the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition. In [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], '''Washington Park''' is one of the city's best places for community sports. And that's just a brief overview. Almost every neighborhood in Chicago has a beloved park.<br />
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===Events &amp; Festivals=== <br />
If you're ''absolutely'' determined and you plan carefully, you may be able to visit Chicago during a festival-less week. It's a challenge, though. Most neighborhoods, parishes, and service groups host their own annual festivals throughout the spring, summer, and fall [http://explorechicago.org/city/en/supporting_narrative/events___special_events/special_events/mose/chicago_neighborhood.html]. There are a few can't-miss city-wide events, though. In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], Grant Park hosts '''Taste of Chicago''' in July, and four major music festivals: '''Blues Fest''' and '''Gospel Fest''' in June, '''Lollapalooza''' in August, and '''Jazz Fest''' over Labor Day Weekend. All but Lollapalooza are free. The Chicago-based music website '''Pitchfork Media''' also hosts their own annual three day festival of rock, rap, and more in the summer.<br />
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===Sports===<br />
With entries in every major professional sports league and several universities in the area, Chicago sports fans have a lot to keep them occupied. The '''Chicago Bears''' play football at Soldier Field in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] from warm September to frigid January. Since the baseball teams split the city in half, nothing seizes the Chicago sports consciousness like a playoff run from the Bears. Aspiring fans will be expected to be able to quote a minimum of two verses of the ''Super Bowl Shuffle'' from memory, tear up at the mention of Walter Payton, and provide arguments as to how Butkus, Singletary, and Urlacher represent stages in the evolution of the linebacker, with supporting evidence in the form of grunts, yells, and fists slammed on tables.<br />
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The '''Chicago Bulls''' play basketball at the United Center on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]. While quality of play and ticket prices may never reach Jordan-era mania, they're still an exciting team to watch, led by young star Derrick Rose. The '''Chicago Blackhawks''' share quarters with the Bulls. As one of the &quot;Original Six&quot; teams in professional hockey, the Blackhawks have a long history in their sport, and the team is experiencing a renaissance after capturing the Stanley Cup in 2010 for the first time in 49 years. Home games for both teams tend to sell out, but tickets can usually be found if you check around. Both the Bulls and the Blackhawks play from the end of October to the beginning of April.<br />
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It's baseball, though, in which the tribal fury of Chicago sports is best expressed. The '''Chicago Cubs''' play at Wrigley Field on the North Side, in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], and the '''Chicago White Sox''' play at U.S. Cellular Field (Comiskey Park, underneath the corporate naming rights) on the South Side, in [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]]. Both franchises have more than a century's worth of history, and both teams play 81 home games from April to the beginning of October. Everything else is a matter of fiercely held opinion. The two three-game series when the teams play each other are the hottest sports tickets in Chicago during any given year. If someone offers you tickets to a game, pounce.<br />
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There are plenty of smaller leagues in the city as well, although some play their games in the suburbs. The '''Chicago Fire''' (Major League Soccer) and '''Chicago Red Stars''' (Women's Professional Soccer) play soccer in the suburb of Bridgeview, the '''Chicago Sky''' play women's professional basketball at the UIC Pavilion on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]], and the '''Windy City Rollers''' skate flat-track roller derby in neighboring [[Cicero]]. Minor league baseball teams dot the suburbs as well.<br />
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While college athletics are not one of Chicago's strong points, Northwestern football (in [[Evanston]]) and DePaul basketball (off-campus in [[Rosemont]]) show occasional signs of life. If you find yourself in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], ask someone how the University of Chicago football team is doing — it's a surefire conversation starter.<br />
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===Theater===<br />
[[Image:Gateway Theatre (Chicago).jpg||thumb|250px|right| The Gateway Theatre in [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Jefferson Park]], seat of the Copernicus Foundation. The theater's Baroque spire is a replica of the Royal Castle in [[Warsaw]].]]<br />
Modern American comedy — the good parts, at least — was born when a group of young actors from [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] formed The Compass Players, fusing intelligence and a commitment to character with an improvisational spark. One strand of their topical, hyper-literate comedy led, directly or indirectly, to Shelly Berman, Mike Nichols &amp; Elaine May, Lenny Bruce, ''M*A*S*H'' and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''; another strand, namely '''The Second City''', led to ''Saturday Night Live'' and a pretty huge percentage of the funny movies and television of the last thirty years. Still in Chicago's [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]] (and few other places as well), still smart and still funny, Second City does two-act sketch revues followed by one act of improv. If you only see one show while you're in Chicago, Second City is a good choice.<br />
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Improvisational comedy as a performance art form is a big part of the Chicago theater scene. At [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] and [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]] theaters like '''The Annoyance Theater''', '''I.O.''', and '''The Playground''', young actors take classes and perform shows that range from ragged to inspired throughout the week. Some are fueled by the dream of making the cast of ''SNL'' or Tina Fey's latest project, and some just enjoy doing good work on-stage, whether or not they're getting paid for it (and most aren't). There's no guarantee that you'll see something great on any given night, but improv tends to be cheaper than anything else in town, and it can definitely be worth the risk. Another popular theater experience is the comedy/drama hybrid '''Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind''', offering 30 plays in 60 minutes every weekend in [[Chicago/Uptown|Andersonville]].<br />
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'''Steppenwolf''', in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], is Chicago's other landmark theater. Founded in 1976, they have a history of taking risks onstage, and they have the ensemble to back it up, with heavyweights like Joan Allen, John Malkovich, and Gary Sinise. Steppenwolf isn't cheap any more, but they mix good, young actors with their veteran ensemble and still choose interesting, emotionally-charged scripts. It's the best place in town to see modern, cutting-edge theater with a bit of &quot;I went to...&quot; name-drop value for the folks back home. <br />
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Most of the prestige theaters, including the '''Broadway in Chicago''' outlets, are located in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] or the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]. Tickets are expensive and can be tough to get, but shows destined for [[New_York_City/Theater_District|Broadway]] like ''The Producers'' often make their debut here. For the cost-conscious, the '''League of Chicago Theatres''' operates '''Hot Tix''' [http://hottix.org/], which offers short-notice half-price tickets to many Chicago shows.<br />
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One theater to see, regardless of the production, is '''The Auditorium''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. It's a masterpiece of architecture and of performance space. Designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, who were on a commission from syndicate of local business magnates to bring some culture to the heathen city, it was the tallest building in Chicago and one of the tallest in the world at the time of its opening in 1889, and it's still an impressive sight, inside and out.<br />
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===Bicycles=== <br />
Chicago has a strong, passionate bicycle culture, and riding opportunities abound. Pedaling your way around the city is one of the best ways to get to know Chicago. And the terrain is mostly flat — a boon for easy-going cyclists! If you don't have a bike, that's no problem. '''Bobby's Bike Hike''' [http://bobbysbikehike.com/] has the official city concession, with a central bike rental location near Navy Pier, at the old North Pier at 465 N. McClurg Court. <br />
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The scenic '''Lakefront Trail''' runs for 18 continuous miles along the city's beautiful shoreline, from Hollywood Beach in Edgewater to the magnificent South Shore Cultural Center. Even while riding at a moderate pace, traveling downtown along the lakefront can be faster than driving or taking the CTA! If you're starting from downtown, you'll be at the approximate midpoint of the trail. Head south if you want a speed workout with fewer crowds, or north to see more of the locals at play.<br />
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Further inland, many streets have bike lanes, and signs direct riders to major bike routes. The City of Chicago maintains helpful '''bicycle resources online''' [http://chicagobikes.org/], including major civic bike events and (slow) interactive maps of major streets with bike lanes.<br />
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Bicyclists have to follow the same &quot;rules of the road&quot; as automobiles (stop at red lights and stop signs, etc). Bicycle riding is not allowed on sidewalks (except for children under age 12). This rule is strictly enforced in higher density neighborhoods, mostly areas near the lake, and is considered a criminal misdemeanor offense. You must walk your bike on the sidewalk.<br />
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CTA buses are all equipped with front bike racks, which carry up to two bicycles, and 'L' trains permit two bicycles per car ''except'' during rush hour (roughly 7-9:30AM and 3:30-6:30PM weekdays, excluding major holidays on which the CTA is running on a Sunday schedule). With the buses, inspect the rack closely for wear or damage and be absolutely certain that the bike is secured before you go, lest it fall off in traffic (and be immediately flattened by the bus). The CTA will fight tooth and nail to avoid reimbursing you for the loss, and the driver might not stop to let you retrieve it.<br />
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Bikes may be rented from the North Avenue Beach House ([[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]]), Navy Pier, ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]), the Millennium Park bike station ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]), and from several bike shops in the city. Another option is to contact the terrific '''Working Bikes Cooperative''' [http://workingbikes.org/], an all-volunteer group of bike lovers that collects and refurbishes bikes, and then sells a few in Chicago to support their larger project of shipping bikes to Africa and South America. You could buy a cheap bike and donate it back when you're done, or even spend a day or two working as a volunteer.<br />
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For an opportunity to connect with the local bike community and take a memorable trip through the city, don't miss the '''Critical Mass''' [http://chicagocriticalmass.org/] rides on the last Friday of every month, starting from Daley Plaza in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] (5:30PM). With numbers on their side, the hundreds or even thousands of bike riders wind up taking over entire streets along the way, with themed routes that are voted upon at the outset of the trip. Anyone is free to join or fall away wherever they like. Police are generally cooperative — take cues from more experienced riders.<br />
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==Learn==<br />
Several major and minor universities call Chicago home. The '''University of Chicago''' and '''Northwestern University''' are undoubtedly the most prestigious among them. The University of Chicago's Gothic campus is in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], which is, famously, &quot;home to more Nobel Prizes per square kilometer than any other neighborhood on Earth.&quot; Further north, in the [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] area, is the '''Illinois Institute of Technology''', which has notable programs in engineering and architecture. '''Northwestern University''' has its main campus in [[Evanston]], just north of Chicago, but it also has campuses in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] off Michigan Ave, including its medical, law, and business schools.<br />
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On the North Side, there are two major Catholic universities with over a hundred years in Chicago: '''DePaul University''', in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], and '''Loyola University''', in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]. Both schools also have campuses in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. '''Rush University Medical School''', on the Near West Side, traces its roots back even further, to 1837. Dating back to 1891, '''North Park University''' serves as another fine private liberal arts university in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Albany Park]] on the Northwest Side. <br />
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A handful of schools in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] attract students in the creative arts. '''Columbia College''' has an enviable location on Michigan Avenue, and its programs in film are continually noted as one of the top in the nation, along with its programs in creative writing and photography which are also are well-regarded. The '''School of the Art Institute''' is generally regarded as one of the top three art and design schools in the country and is one of the few art schools that does not require its students to declare majors. The '''Illinois Institute of Art''' specializes in different fields of art and design, with a top-notch culinary program. The main campus of '''Roosevelt University''', former home to Chicago heavyweights like Harold Washington and Ramsey Lewis, is in the Auditorium Theatre building. <br />
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To the west of the Loop, built over the remains of Little Italy and Maxwell Street neighborhoods is the brutalist [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] campus of the '''University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)''', the second-largest member of the Illinois state university system.<br />
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The '''City Colleges of Chicago''' [http://ccc.edu/] are scattered throughout the city. They include '''Harold Washington College''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]), '''Harry S. Truman College''' ([[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]), '''Malcolm X College''' ([[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]), '''Wright College''' ([[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]]), '''Kennedy-King College''' ([[Chicago/Southwest Side|Englewood]]), '''Daley College''' ([[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]), and '''Olive-Harvey College''' ([[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]).<br />
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==Work==<br />
[[Image:Loop, L overhead.jpg|thumb|240px|The L rumbling overhead in [[Chicago/Loop|the Loop]]]]<br />
Chicago still loves Carl Sandburg and his poems, but the city shucked off the hog butcher's apron a long time ago. In terms of industry, there's little that distinguishes Chicago from any other major city in America, save for size. The '''Chicago Board of Trade''' [http://cbot.com/] and '''Chicago Mercantile Exchange''' [http://cme.com/] are among the biggest employers, with stables of traders and stock wizards. '''Boeing''' [http://boeing.com/] moved its headquarters to Chicago amid much fanfare a few years ago; '''United Airlines''' [http://united.com/] is another international company with headquarters in town. '''Abbott Labs''' [http://abbott.com/], just outside city limits, is the biggest employer of foreign nationals in scientific fields. The Big Five consulting firms all have one or more offices in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. And there's always construction work in Chicago, but with a strong union presence in the city, it's not easy for a newcomer to break into without an introduction. <br />
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For younger workers, the museums in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] are always looking for low-paid, high-enthusiasm guides, and the retail outlets on the [[Chicago/Near North|Magnificent Mile]] also need seasonal help. And with so many colleges and universities in the city, study abroad opportunities abound.<br />
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In Chicago, business is politics, and there's one word in Chicago politics: '''clout'''. The principal measure of clout is how many jobs you can arrange for your friends. Hence, if you want to work in Chicago, start asking around — email someone from your country's embassy or consulate and see if they have any leads, or figure out if there is a cultural association that might be able to help you. It's no coincidence that the Mayor's Office [http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/home.do] employs scores of [[Ireland|Irish]] workers every summer. If you happen to contact somebody who met the right person at a fundraiser a few days ago, you might fall into a cushy job or a dream internship; it's worth a try.<br />
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==Buy==<br />
Whatever you need, you can buy it in Chicago, on a budget or in luxury. The most famous shopping street in Chicago is a stretch of Michigan Avenue known as '''The Magnificent Mile''', in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] area. It includes many designer boutiques, and several multi-story malls anchored by large department stores like 900 N Michigan and Water Tower Place. Additional brands are available from off-strip shops to the south and west of Michigan.<br />
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'''State Street''' used to be a great street for department stores in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], but it's now a shadow of its former self, with Carson Pirie Scott's landmark Louis Sullivan-designed building closed, and invading forces from [[New York City|New York]] holding the former Marshall Field's building hostage under the name Macy's. Discounts can still be found at places like Filene's Basement, though.<br />
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For a classic Chicago souvenir, pick up a box of '''Frango Mints''', much-loved mint chocolates that were originally offered by Marshall Field's and are still available at Macy's stores. Although no longer made in the thirteenth-floor kitchen of the State Street store, the original recipe appears to still be in use, which pleases the loyal crowds fond of the flavor — and too bad for anyone looking to avoid trans-fats.<br />
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However, for a more unique shopping experience, check out the fun, eclectic stores in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]], or the cutting-edge shops in [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] and [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], which is also the place to go for '''music fiends''' — although there are also key vinyl drops in other parts of the city as well. '''Southport''' in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] and '''Armitage''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] also have browser-friendly fashion boutiques.<br />
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For '''art''' or '''designer home goods''', River North is the place to go. Centered between the Merchandise Mart and the Chicago Avenue Brown Line &quot;L&quot; stop in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], River North's gallery district boasts the largest arts and design district in North America outside of Manhattan. The entire area is walkable and makes for fun window-shopping.<br />
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Goods from around the world are available at the '''import stores''' in Chicago's many ethnic neighborhoods; check [[Chicago#Ethnic_neighborhoods|See]] for descriptions and district articles for directions.<br />
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If you are the type that loves to browse through '''independent bookstores''', [[Chicago/Hyde Park#Buy|Hyde Park]] has a stunning assortment of dusty used bookstores selling beat-up-paperbacks to rare 17th century originals, and the world's largest academic bookstore. '''Printer's Row''' in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] is also a great stop for book lovers.<br />
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==Eat==<br />
[[Image:Chicago deep dish pizza.jpg|thumb|240px|print=inline|Chicago's deep dish pizza is incredible]]<br />
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Chicago is one of the great restaurant towns in America. If you're looking for a specific kind of cuisine, check out the [[Chicago#Ethnic_neighborhoods|neighborhoods]]. [[Chicago/Near West Side|Greektown]], the [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Devon Ave]] Desi corridor, [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Chinatown]], and [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham]]'s soul food and barbecue are just the tip of the iceberg. Other areas are more eclectic: [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]] and Albany Park have unrivaled Middle Eastern, German, and Korean food, while [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]] offers nearly the whole [[Southeast Asia]]n continent with Ghanaian, Nigerian, contemporary American, stylish Japanese, and down-home Swedish a few blocks away. <br />
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If you're interested in celebrity chefs and unique creations, [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] and [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] have plenty of award-winners. [[Chicago/Near North|River North]] has several good upscale restaurants, but don't waste your time on tourist traps like Rainforest Cafe, Cheesecake Factory, or the Hard Rock Cafe. In fact, you should never submit to standing in line — there are always equally good restaurants nearby. No matter what you enjoy, you'll have a chance to eat well in Chicago, and you won't need to spend a lot of money doing it — unless you want to, of course.<br />
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But while Chicago has a world class dining scene downtown, it is the low-end where it truly distinguishes itself. No other city on earth takes fast food so seriously; for those who don't concern themselves with calorie counting, Chicago is cheap, greasy heaven. Head northwest and you'll find sausage shops and old-style Polish restaurants that carry on as if health food and celebrity chefs never happened in '''Jackowo'''- [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Chicago's Polish Village]], as well as at [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Belmont-Central]]- an Eastern European culinary heaven. Quite a few other local &quot;culinary specialties&quot; in particular deserve further description.<br />
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===Chicago pizza===<br />
Chicago's most prominent contribution to world cuisine might be the '''deep dish pizza'''. Delivery chains as far away as [[Kyoto]] market &quot;Chicago-style pizza,&quot; but the only place to be sure you're getting the real thing is in Chicago. To make a deep dish pizza, a thin layer of dough is laid into a deep round pan and pulled up the sides, and then meats and vegetables — Italian sausage, onions, bell peppers, mozzarella cheese, and more — are lined on the crust. At last, tomato sauce goes on top, and the pizza is baked. It's gooey, messy, not recommended by doctors, and delicious. When you dine on deep dish pizza, don't wear anything you were hoping to wear again soon. Some nationally-known deep dish pizza hubs are Pizzeria UNO and DUE, Gino's East, Giordano's, and Lou Malnati's, but plenty of local favorites exist. Ask around — people won't be shy about giving you their opinion.<br />
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But deep dish is not the end of the line in a city that takes its pizza so seriously. Chicago also prides itself on its distinctive thin-crust pizza and stuffed pizzas. The Chicago '''thin crust''' has a thin, cracker-like, crunchy crust, which somehow remains soft and doughy on the top side. Toppings and a lot of a thin, spiced Italian tomato sauce go under the mozzarella cheese, and the pizza is sliced into squares. If you are incredulous that Chicago's pizza preeminence extends into the realm of the thin crust, head [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Mid-range|south of Midway]] to Vito and Nick's, which is widely regarded among local gourmands as the standard bearer for the city.<br />
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The '''stuffed pizza''' is a monster, enough to make an onlooker faint. Start with the idea of a deep dish, but then find a much deeper dish and stuff a ''lot'' more toppings under the cheese. Think deep-dish apple pie, but pizza. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for pizza places to make one of these and allow 3-4 extra notches on your belt for the ensuing weight gain. Arguably the best stuffed pizza in town is at Bella Bacino's in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], which somehow is not greasy, but other excellent vendors include Giordano's, Gino's, and Edwardo's.<br />
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===The Chicago hot dog===<br />
[[Image:Chicago hot dog.jpg|thumb|260px|print=inline|A charred Chicago-style hot dog with all the trappings]]<br />
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This may come as a surprise to New Yorkers, but the Chicago hot dog is the king of all hot dogs — indeed, it is considered the '''perfect hot dog'''. Perhaps due to the city's history of Polish and German immigration, Chicago takes its dogs ''way'' more seriously than the rest of the country. A Chicago hot dog is always all-beef (usually Vienna beef), always served on a poppy-seed bun, and topped with what looks like a full salad of mustard, diced tomatoes, a dill pickle spear, sport (chili) peppers, a generous sprinkling of celery salt, diced onion, and a sweet-pickle relish endemic-to-Chicago that is dyed an odd, vibrant bright-green color. It's a full meal, folks.<br />
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Ketchup is regarded as an abomination on a proper Chicago-style hot dog. Self-respecting establishments will refuse orders to put the ketchup on the dog, and many have signs indicating that they don't serve it; truly serious hot dog joints don't even allow the condiment on the premises. The reason for Chicago's ketchup aversion is simple — ketchup contains sugar, which overwhelms the taste of the beef and prevents its proper enjoyment. Hence, ketchup's replacement with diced tomatoes. Similarly, Chicagoans eschew fancy mustards that would overwhelm the flavor of the meat in favor of simple yellow mustard. And for the hungry visiting New Yorkers, the same goes for sugary sauerkraut — ''just no''.<br />
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At most hot dog places, you will have the option to try a '''Maxwell Street Polish''' instead. Born on the eponymous street of the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]], the Polish is an all-beef sausage on a bun, with fewer condiments than the Chicago hot dog: usually just grilled onions, mustard, and a few chili peppers.<br />
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In a tragic, bizarre twist of fate, the areas of Chicago most visited by tourists (i.e., [[Chicago/Loop|the Loop]]) lack proper Chicago hot dog establishments. If you are downtown and want to experience a Chicago hot dog done right, the nearest safe bet is [[Chicago/Near North#Eat|Portillo's]]. Although, if you're up for a little hot dog adventure, you can eat one right at the source, at the [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town#Budget|Vienna Beef Factory deli]]. Sadly, both baseball parks botch their dogs, although the 2011 return of Vienna Beef as the official hot dog of Wrigley Field is a step in the right direction.<br />
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===Italian Beef===<br />
The Italian Beef sandwich completes the Chicago triumvirate of tasty greasy treats. The main focus of the sandwich is the beef, and serious vendors will serve meat of a surprisingly good quality, which is slow-roasted, and thinly shaved before being loaded generously onto chewy, white, Italian-style bread. Two sets of options will come flying at you, so prepare yourself: sweet peppers or hot, and dipped or not. The &quot;sweet&quot; peppers are sautéed bell peppers, while the hots are a mixed Chicago giardiniera. The dip, of course, is a sort of French dip of the sandwich back into the beef broth. (Warning: dipped Italian Beefs are sloppy!) If you are in the mood, you may be able to get an Italian Beef with cheese melted over the beef, although travelers looking for the &quot;authentic Italian Beef&quot; perhaps should not stray so far from tradition. <br />
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The Italian Beef probably was invented by Italian-American immigrants working in the Union Stockyards on the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]], who could only afford to take home the tough, lowest-quality meat and therefore had a need to slow-roast it, shave it into thin slices, and dip it just to get it in chewable form. But today the sandwich has found a lucrative home downtown, where it clogs the arteries and delights the taste buds of the Chicago workforce during lunch break. Some of the city's favorite downtown vendors include Luke's Italian Beef in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and Mr. Beef in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], while the Portillo's chain is another solid option.<br />
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{{infobox|Four fried chickens and a coke...|With the Great Migration came much of what was best about the South: blues, jazz, barbecue — but following a legendary meal at which a young, hungry Harold Pierce saw the last piece of bird flee his grasp into the mouth of the local preacher, Harold made it his mission to add fried chicken to that prestigious list, and to ensure that no South Side Chicagoan ever run out. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Harold's Chicken Shack, a.k.a. the Fried Chicken King, is a South Side institution like no other. The Chicago-style fried chicken is considered by many connoisseurs to be some of the nation's best (certainly in the North), and it is fried in a home-style mix of beef tallow and vegetable oil, then covered with sauce (hot or mild). Crucially, it is always cooked to order — ensuring that essential layer of grease between the skin and the meat. A half chicken meal can come as cheap as $4 and includes coleslaw, white bread, and sauce-drenched fries — make like a local and wrap the fries in the bread. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Initially, the fried chicken chain spread throughout black neighborhoods, which were ignored by other fast food chains, but in later years the franchise has extended its greasy fingers to the West and North Sides, as well as downtown. While chances are you will not find better fried chicken outside of Harold's walls, the quality, pricing, and character vary between individual locations. Your safest bets are on the South Side — if you are served through bullet-proof glass under signs bearing a chef chasing a chicken with a hatchet, rest assured you are getting the best.}}<br />
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==Drink==<br />
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Chicago is a drinking town, and you can find bars and pubs in every part of the city. It is believed that Chicago has the second highest bars-per-capita in the U.S. (after [[San Francisco]]). Be prepared to be asked for identification to verify your age, even at neighborhood dive bars. '''Smoking''' is banned in Chicago bars (and restaurants). <br />
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The best places to drink for drinking's sake are [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] and neighboring [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan Square and Bucktown]], which have a world-class stock of quality dive bars and local craft breweries. [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|North Center]] and Roscoe Village are also a great (and underrated) destination for the art of the beer garden. Beware the bars in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] near Wrigley Field, though, which are packed on weekends, and jam-packed all day whenever the Cubs are playing. Just to the south, [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] has bars and beer gardens to indulge those who miss college, and some trendy clubs for the neighborhood's notorious high-spending Trixies. <br />
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Ill-informed tourists converge upon the nightclubs of [[Chicago/Near North|Rush and Division St]]. The city's best DJs spin elsewhere, the best drinks are served elsewhere, and the cheapest beers are served elsewhere; the hottest of-the-moment clubs and in-the-know celebrities are usually elsewhere, too. For the last few years the [[Chicago/Near West Side|West Loop's]] warehouse bars were the place to be, but more recently the River North neighborhood has been making a comeback. Still, the Rush/Division bars do huge business. This area includes the &quot;Viagra Triangle,&quot; where Chicago's wealthy older men hang out with women in their early 20s. Streeterville, immediately adjacent, exchanges the dance floors for high-priced hotel bars and piano lounges.<br />
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Although good dance music can be found in Wicker Park and the surrounding area, the best places to dance in the city are the expensive see and be seen clubs in River North and the open-to-all (except perhaps bachelorette parties) clubs in gay-friendly [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Boystown]], which are a lot of fun for people of any sexual orientation.<br />
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===Jazz and Blues===<br />
{{web|''See [[The_Jazz_Track#Day_5_.28Saturday.29:_Visiting_Chicago|The Jazz Track]] for a wealth of information about current and historic jazz clubs in Chicago.''}}<br />
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The Lower Mississippi River Valley is known for its music; [[New Orleans]] has jazz, and [[Memphis]] has blues. Chicago, though located far away from the valley, has both. Former New Orleans and Memphis residents brought jazz and blues to Chicago as they came north for a variety of reasons: the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 brought a lot of itinerant musicians to town, and the city's booming economy kept them coming through the [[Chicago#African-American history|Great Migration]]. Chicago was the undisputed capital of early jazz between 1917-1928, wih masters like Joe King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Noone, Johnny Dodds, Earl Hines, and Jelly Roll Morton. Most of Chicago's historic jazz clubs are on the South Side, particularly in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], but the North Side has the can't-miss '''Green Mill''' in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]. <br />
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The blues were in Chicago long before the car chase and the mission from God, but ''The Blues Brothers'' sealed Chicago as the home of the blues in the popular consciousness. Fortunately, the city has the chops to back that up. '''Maxwell Street''' [http://maxwellstreet.org] ([[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]) was the heart and soul of Chicago blues, but the wrecking ball, driven by the University of Illinois at Chicago, has taken a brutal toll. Residents have been fighting to save what remains. For blues history, it doesn't get much better than '''Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation''' ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]), and [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], the former &quot;Black Metropolis,&quot; is a key stop as well. Performance venues run the gamut from tiny, cheap blues bars all over the city to big, expensive places like '''Buddy Guy's Legends''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]) and the original '''House of Blues''' ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]).<br />
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But don't let yourself get ''too'' wrapped up in the past, because Chicago blues is anything but. No other city in the world can compete with Chicago's long list of blues-soaked neighborhood dives and lounges. The North Side's blues clubs favor tradition in their music, and are usually the most accessible to visitors, but offer a slightly watered down experience from the funkier, more authentic blues bars on the South and Far West Sides, where most of Chicago's blues musicians live and hang. If one club could claim to be the home of the real Chicago blues, '''Lee's Unleaded Blues''' in [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]] would probably win the title. But there are scores of worthy blues joints all around the city (many of which are a lot easier to visit via public transport). A visit to one of these off-the-beaten-path blues dives is considerably more adventurous than a visit to the touristy House of Blues, but the experiences born of such adventures have been known to reward visitors with a life-long passion for the blues.<br />
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Although playing second fiddle to the blues in the city's collective consciousness, jazz thrives in Chicago, too, thanks in no small part to members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and their residencies at clubs like '''The Velvet Lounge''' and '''The Jazz Showcase''' (both of which see regular national acts) ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]), '''The New Apartment Lounge''' ([[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]]) and '''The Hideout''' ([[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]]), with more expensive national touring acts downtown at '''The Chicago Theater''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]). If you are staying downtown, the Velvet Lounge will be your best bet, as it is an easy cab ride, and its high-profile performances will rarely disappoint.<br />
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Fans should time their visits to coincide with '''Blues Fest''' in June, and '''Jazz Fest''' over Labor Day Weekend. Both take place in Grant Park ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]).<br />
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===Concerts===<br />
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[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] and [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] are the main place to go for indie rock shows: the '''Double Door''' and the '''Empty Bottle''' are the best-known venues, but there are plenty of smaller ones as well. In [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], the '''Metro''' is a beloved concert hole, with '''Schubas''', '''Lincoln Hall''', '''The Vic''', and the '''Abbey Pub''' nearby (the latter on the [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]]). Other mid-sized rock, hip-hop and R&amp;B shows take place at the '''Riviera''' and the awesome '''Aragon Ballroom''' in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]. The [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] has become an underrated destination for great shows as well.<br />
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[[Image:Chicago theater.jpg|thumb|240px|The legendary Chicago Theater]]<br />
The '''Park West''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] has light jazz, light rock, and other shows you'd sit down for; so does '''Navy Pier''' ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]), particularly in the summer. The venerable '''Chicago Theater''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] is better-known for its sign than for anything else, but it has rock, jazz, gospel, and spoken-word performances by authors like David Sedaris. The world-renowned '''Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO)''' is the main bulwark in the city for classical and classy jazz, with occasional curve-balls like Björk. You'll find musicians from the CSO doing outreach all over the city, along with their counterparts at the '''Lyric Opera'''. Both are in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]].<br />
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A few big concerts are held at the '''UIC Pavilion''', the '''Congress Theater''', and the '''United Center''' on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] every year, and some ''huge'' concerts have taken place at '''Soldier Field''' ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]). The '''Petrillo Bandshell''' in '''Grant Park''' and the '''Pritzker Pavilion''' in '''Millennium Park''', both in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], tend to host big, eclectic shows and festivals in the summer, which are sometimes free. <br />
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Otherwise, most big shows are out in the suburbs, primarily at the '''Allstate Arena''' and the '''Rosemont Theater''' in [[Rosemont]], the '''Sears Centre''' in Hoffman Estates, the '''First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre''' in Tinley Park, '''Star Plaza''' in [[Indiana]], and the '''Alpine Valley Music Theater''' over the [[Wisconsin]] border. You'll also have to head out to the suburbs for '''Ravinia''', which features upscale classical, jazz, and blues outdoors throughout the summer. {{web|See [[Chicagoland]] for details on suburban venues.}}<br />
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==Sleep==<br />
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&lt;!-- do not put individual listings here - put them on the page for the district where they are located --&gt;<br />
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Chicago hosts many major conventions each year and has plenty of places to stay. The majority are either at [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare Airport]] or downtown in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] (near the Magnificent Mile). If you want to explore the city, aim for downtown — a hotel near O'Hare is good for visiting one thing and one thing only, and that's O'Hare. However, if you have a specific interest in mind, there are hotels throughout the city, and getting away from downtown will give you more of a sense of other neighborhoods. You'll appreciate that if you're in town for more than a couple of days. Make sure that where you're staying is within your comfort level before committing to stay there, though. More far flung transient hotels will be suitable for those seeking to relive Jack Kerouac's seedy adventures around the country, but may alarm and disgust the average traveler.<br />
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Budget-priced places are usually pretty far from the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], so when you're booking, remember that Chicago is vast. Travelers on a budget should consider accommodations away from the city center which can be easily reached via any of the several CTA train lines. There is a [[hostel]] in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and two others near the universities in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]], all of which are interesting neighborhoods in their own right, and close to the L for access to the rest of the city. For deals on mid-range hotels, there are good options far out from the center by [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Sleep|Midway]] and in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|North Lincoln]].<br />
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==Contact==<br />
===Internet===<br />
The first Internet cafe in the United States was opened in Chicago, but they never really caught on here. There are still a few, though; check individual district articles. If you have a computer with you, free wireless Internet access is now standard-issue at coffee shops throughout the city including major ones like Starbucks. Most hotels above the transient level offer free Wi-Fi, too.<br />
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The good news is that all branches of the '''Chicago Public Library''' system offer '''free internet access''', via public terminals and free, password-free, public wireless. If you do not have a Chicago library card, but you have a photo ID that shows you do not live in Chicago, you can get a temporary permit from the library information desk. (If you ''are'' from Chicago and don't have a library card, though, all you can get is a stern look and a brief lecture on how Chicagoans need to support the library system.) The most centrally located branch is the giant '''Harold Washington Library''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], but there are branch libraries in every part of the city — again, see individual district articles. Only Harold Washington and the two regional libraries ([[Chicago/North Lincoln|Sulzer]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Woodson]]) are open on Sundays.<br />
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===Telephones===<br />
'''312''' was the area code for all of Chicago for a long time; it's still the code of choice for the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and most of the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] and [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]. '''773''' surrounds the center, covering everything else within city limits.<br />
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Suburban areas close to the city use '''847''' (north/northwest), '''708''' (south), '''815''' (southwest), and '''630''' (west).<br />
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==Stay safe==<br />
[[Image:Chicago violent crime map 05-08.png|thumb|350px|Violent crime rates by neighborhood]]<br />
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As in almost the entire United States, dial '''911''' to get emergency help. Dial '''311''' for all non-emergency situations in Chicago.<br />
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Despite a big decline in the crime rate from the 1970s and 1980s, Chicago is still a big city with big city problems. There are run-down areas within a few blocks of some well-traveled places such as near the United Center and US Cellular Field. The majority of the city's violent crimes occur within a relatively small number of neighborhoods well off the beaten path in the South and West Sides, but given the chance nature of crime, you should exercise the usual precautions wherever you go. Even in a neighborhood with a bad reputation, though, you might still have a perfectly good time, as long as it falls within your comfort level.<br />
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Take caution in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] at night; after working hours, the Loop gets quiet and dark in a hurry west of State Street, but you'll be fine near hotels and close to Michigan Avenue and the lake. When disembarking a crowded CTA train, especially in the downtown-area subways, be wary of purse snatchers.<br />
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Beggars are common [[Chicago/Loop|downtown]]. They are very unlikely to pose any kind of problem, though. Some sell a local newspaper called ''Streetwise'' to make a living.<br />
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&lt;!--PRINT<br />
[[Image:Chicago violent crime map 05-08 print.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
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In general, common sense will keep you safe in Chicago: avoid unfamiliar side streets at night, stay out of alleys at night, know where you're going when you set out, stick to crowded areas, and keep a $20 bill on hand for cab fare as a bail-out option. <br />
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Dress appropriately for the weather. Chicago's winter is famously windy and cold, so cover exposed skin and wear layers in the winter, but heat exhaustion is an equal risk in the summer months, especially July and August. Stay off the road during a snowstorm. Chicago's streets and sanitation department generally does a good job clearing the major roads in the center of the city, but the neighborhoods can take longer, and the construction-littered expressways are anyone's guess.<br />
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==Cope==<br />
===Publications===<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Tribune&quot; alt=&quot;The Trib&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagotribune.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Tribune is Chicago's oldest daily, recently converted into a tabloid format for newsstand purchases. New ownership has shed much of the Trib's former prestige with a debt-leveraged purchase and forced bankruptcy, widespread staff layoffs, and an ill-advised redesign.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Sun-Times&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://suntimes.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Sun-Times is Chicago's other &quot;major&quot; newspaper. It has a long-standing reputation for aggressive (some might say &quot;sensationalist&quot;) investigative journalism. It has also been teetering on the verge of oblivion for some time, but at least it has Roger Ebert.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Redeye&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://redeyechicago.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Redeye is a free weekdays-only newspaper produced by the Tribune. Although its covers appear to report from some parallel universe where topics like sandwiches and being tired at work are the top stories of the day, it does have basic news coverage inside along with entertainment gossip.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Defender&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagodefender.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Defender is Chicago's biggest African-American daily, and it played a major role in the city's African-American history. Its distribution network today is comparatively small, though.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Hola Hoy&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://hoyinternet.com/noticias/localidades/chicago/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Hola Hoy produces a free Spanish-language newspaper with wide distribution.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Reader&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagoreader.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Reader is a free weekly newspaper distributed throughout the city each Wednesday. It includes extensive listings of arts, music, and events. Nobody knows more about Chicago than the Reader, but it's definitely oriented toward locals.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Crain's Chicago Business&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagobusiness.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; Crain's is a long-standing weekly newspaper covering the Chicago area business community, with a dash of politics and lifestyle — definitely worth a look if you're in town on business.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;New City&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://newcitychicago.com/chicago&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;New City is a free weekly alternative arts and entertainment magazine, distributed every Wednesday. Event listings and local content are skimpy, but it is free.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Time Out Chicago&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://timeoutchicago.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Time Out produces a weekly magazine available at most newsstands and bookstores. Its listings for events, bars, and restaurants are by far the most comprehensive and easiest to use for visitors to the city.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Windy City Times&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://windycitytimes.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Free weekly LGBT newspaper.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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===Religious services===<br />
[[Image:Willmette how.jpg|thumb|300px|The spectacular Bahá'í Temple]]<br />
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There are places of worship all over the city; the front desk of your hotel will almost certainly be able to direct you to one nearby. If not, though, the following are centrally located in either the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] or the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], unless otherwise noted.<br />
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For churches of specific Orthodoxies, check in neighborhoods that feature communities with ties to that region. There's a majestic Orthodox church in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]], for example. Evangelical Christian ministries are mostly on the South Side, with some historic churches in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]. For the Baha'i faith, visit the '''Baha'i Temple''' in [[Wilmette]], easily accessible by the CTA Purple Line.<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Belmont Red Line&quot; address=&quot;540 W Melrose St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 248-9200&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://asbi.org/&quot;&gt; Modern Orthodox Judaism. In a remarkably beautiful building by the lake. Shacharit Su 8:30AM, M,Th 6:45AM, Tu,W,F 7AM; Mincha Su-Th 7:45PM. &lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Armitage Baptist Church&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Logan Square Blue Line&quot; address=&quot; 2451 N Kedzie Blvd.&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 384-4673&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://armitagechurch.org/&quot;&gt;Sunday worship 9:30, 11AM, and 6PM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4N739 IL Route 59, Bartlett&quot; phone=&quot;+1 630 213 2277&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;Free&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.baps.org/Introduction/Introduction.htm&quot;&gt; Everyday worship 11:30 AM Aarti.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago's Central Synagogue&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;15 W Delaware Place&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-0450 &quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://centralchicago.org/&quot;&gt; Conservative Judaism. Shabbat services Sa 9:15AM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Loop Synagogue&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Madison/Wabash Brown/Purple/Green/Orange/Pink Line&quot; address=&quot;16 S Clark St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 346-7370&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagoloopsynagogue.org/index.asp&quot;&gt; Traditional Judaism. Shachris Sa 9AM, Su 9:30AM; Mincha Sa 3:45PM, Su 4:15PM, M-F 1:05PM; Maariv 4:45PM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Sinai Congregation&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;15 W Delaware Pl&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 867-7000&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagosinai.org/&quot;&gt; Liberal Reform Judaism. Torah study Sa 10:30AM; Shabbat Eve service F 6:15PM, Sunday service 11AM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Downtown Islamic Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Jackson Red Line&quot; address=&quot;231 S State St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 939-9095&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://dic-chicago.org/&quot;&gt; Open M-F 10:30AM-5:30PM. Friday prayers: Khutba 1:05PM / Aqama 1:30PM (1st Friday Jamaa), Khutba 2:05PM / Aqama 2:30PM (2nd Friday Jamaa).&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10915 Lemont Rd, Lemont, IL&quot; phone=&quot;+1 630 972-0300&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;M-F 10AM-8PM&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://htgc.org/test/index.php?option=com_frontpage&amp;Itemid=1&quot;&gt; 25 miles southwest of Chicago. Call temple to schedule priest services.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Holy Name Cathedral&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;735 N State St&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://holynamecathedral.org/&quot; hours=&quot;Open for private prayer or reflection from 5:30AM-7PM&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Flagship of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Sunday Masses at 7:00, 8:15, 9:30 (incl. sign language), 11:00 AM, and 12:30, 5:15 PM. See website for Saturday, weekdays, and Holy Days schedules, as well as other sacraments.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Saint James Cathedral&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;65 E Huron St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-7360&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://saintjamescathedral.org/&quot;&gt; Episcopalian services. Office hours M-F 9AM-4PM. Eucharist Su 8AM,10:30AM, W 5:30PM, Th,F 12:10PM&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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&lt;!--WEB-START--&gt;<br />
<br />
===Foreign consulates===<br />
<br />
Here's a quick list of foreign consulates in Chicago:<br />
{| <br />
|-<br />
| style=&quot;vertical-align:top;width:50%;&quot; |<br />
* [[Image:ar-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Argentina &quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave, #4208/9&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 819-2610&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 819-2604 url=&quot;http://embassyofargentina.us/espanol/consuladosargentinoseneeuu/consuladosargentinoseneeuuchicago.htm&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;hrgcchic@aol.com&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 819-2612&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:as-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Australia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;123 N Wacker Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 419-1480&quot; email=&quot;chicago@dfat.gov.au&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 419-1499&quot; url=&quot;http://usa.embassy.gov.au/whwh/ChicagoCG.html&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:au-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Austria&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 222-1516&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:bf-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bahamas&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;8600 W Bryn Mawr Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 693-1500&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:be-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Belgium (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1703 N Randall Rd, Elgin&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 214-4670&quot; email=&quot;paulvanhalteren@sbcglobal.net&quot; fax=&quot;+1 847 787-5486&quot; url=&quot;http://diplobel.us/Representatives/Find_Consul.asp&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:bl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bolivia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1111 Superior St, #309&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 343-1234&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Melrose Park]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:bk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;151 E Chicago Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 951-1245&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:br-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Brazil&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;401 N Michigan Ave, #1850&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 464-0244&quot; email=&quot;central@brazilconsulatechicago.org&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 464-0299&quot; url=&quot;http://portalconsular.mre.gov.br/clientes/portalconsular/portalconsular/mundo/america-do-norte/estados-unidos-da-america/chicago&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:bu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bulgaria&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #2105&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 867-1904&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ca-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Canada&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;Two Prudential Plaza, 180 N Stetson Ave, #2400&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 616-1860&quot; url=&quot;http://canadainternational.gc.ca/chicago/index.aspx?lang=eng&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;chcgo@international.gc.ca&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 616-1878&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ci-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Chile&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #3352&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 654-8780&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ch-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;China&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;100 E Erie St, #500&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 803-0095&quot; url=&quot;http://chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:co-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Colombia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 923-1196&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:cs-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Costa Rica&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;203 N Wabash Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 263-2772&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:hr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Croatia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #1030&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 482-9902&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ez-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Czech Republic&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 861-1037&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:da-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Denmark&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave Ste 3950&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-8780&quot; email=&quot;ordhkt@um.dk&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 787-8744&quot; url=&quot;http://gkchicago.um.dk/en&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:dr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Dominican Republic&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;3228 W N Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 236-2447&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ec-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ecuador&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;30 S Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 338-1002&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:eg-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Egypt&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave, #1900&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 828-9162&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:es-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;El Salvador&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;104 S Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 332-1393&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:en-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Estonia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;410 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 595-2527&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:fi-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Finland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;362 E Burlington St, #2&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 442-0635&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Riverside]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:fr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;France&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-5359&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Germany&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;676 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 202-0480&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Greece&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;650 N Saint Clair St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 335-3915&quot; email=&quot;chicago@greekembassy.org&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 335-3958&quot; url=&quot;http://mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/AuthoritiesAbroad/North+America/USA/GeneralConsulateChicago/en-US/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gt-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Guatemala&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave #2350&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+ 1 312 332 1587&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:ha-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Haiti&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;220 S State St, #2110&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 922-4004&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ho-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Honduras&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4506 W Fullerton Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 342-8281&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:hu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Hungary&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-4079&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:in-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;India&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;455 N Cityfront Plaza Dr, NBC Tower Bldg Ste 850&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 595-0405&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 595-0409&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.indianconsulate.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:id-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Indonesia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;211 W Wacker Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 920-1880&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ei-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ireland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 337-1868&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 337-1954 &quot; url=&quot;http://irishconsulate.org&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:is-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Israel&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;111 E Wacker Dr, #1308&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 297-4800&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:it-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Italy&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 467-1550&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:jm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Jamaica&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4655 S Martin Luther King Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 373-8988&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
| style=&quot;vertical-align:top;width:50%;&quot; |<br />
* [[Image:ja-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Japan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #1100&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 280-0430&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:jo-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Jordan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;12559 S Holiday Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 272-6666&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; ([[Alsip]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ks-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Republic of Korea&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;455 N Cityfront Plaza Dr, #2700&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 822-0443&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lg-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Latvia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;3239 Arnold Ln&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 498-6880&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Northbrook]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lh-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Lithuania&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;211 E Ontario St, #1500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 397-0382&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Luxembourg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1417 Braeborn Ct&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 520-5995&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Wheeling (Illinois)|Wheeling]])&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:my-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Malaysia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #4101&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 280-9632&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:mx-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Mexico&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;204 S Ashland Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 738-2531&quot; url=&quot;http://consulmexchicago.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:FlagOfMontenegro.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Montenegro&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;201 E Ohio St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-6707&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:np-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Nepal&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;100 W Monroe St, #500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 263-1250&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:nl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Netherlands&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;303 E Wacker Dr Ste 2600&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 856-0110&quot; tollfree=&quot;+1 877-DUTCHHELP&quot; email=&quot;chi@minbuza.nl&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 856-9218&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.the-netherlands.org/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:nz-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;New Zealand (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;8600 W Bryn Mawr Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 714-9461&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 773 714-9483&quot; url=&quot;http://nzembassy.com/united-states-of-america/about-the-embassy/contact-us/nz-honorary-consuls&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:no-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Norway&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;900 Lively Blvd&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 364-7374&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; ([[Elk Grove]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Pakistan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;333 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 781-1831&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Panama&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;9048 S Commercial Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 933-0395&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:rp-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Philippines&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;30 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 332-6458&quot; email=&quot;chicagopcg@sbcglobal.net&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 332-3657&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagopcg.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pe-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Peru&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Michigan Ave, #1800&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 782-1599&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Poland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;820 N Orleans St, #335&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 337-8166&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:po-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Portugal (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1955 N New England Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 889-7405&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 493-2433&quot; url=&quot;http://un.int/portugal/visainfo.htm&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ro-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Romania&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 573-1315&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:Flag_of_Serbia_(state).png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Serbia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;201 E Ohio St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-6707&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sn-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Singapore&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10 South Dearborn St, #4800&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 853-7555&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sf-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;South Africa&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;200 S Michigan Ave, #600&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 939-7929&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 939-2588&quot; url=&quot;http://sachicago.pwpsystems.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sp-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Spain&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Michigan Ave, #1500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 782-4588&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sw-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Sweden&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;150 N Michigan Ave, #1951&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 781-6262&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sz-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Switzerland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #2301&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 915-0061&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 915-0061&quot; email=&quot;chi.vertretung@eda.admin.ch&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 915-0388&quot; url=&quot;http://eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/nameri/vusa/chicon.html&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:tw-flag.PNG|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Taiwan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Stetson Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 616-0100&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:th-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Thailand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;700 N Rush St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 644-3129&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:tu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Turkey&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;360 N Michigan Ave, #1405&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 621-3340&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:up-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ukraine&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10 E Huron St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 642-3129&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:uk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;United Kingdom&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave, #1300&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 970-3800&quot; url=&quot;http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/other-locations/chicago/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:uy-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Uruguay&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #1422&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 642-3430&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ve-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Venezuela&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;20 N Wacker Dr, #750&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 236-9655&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
|}<br />
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==Get out==<br />
===Illinois===<br />
* There are forest preserves in the far north, northwest, and southwest sides, and into the nearby [[Chicagoland]] suburbs. They are excellent for biking, jogging, and picnics.<br />
<br />
* [[Evanston]] is over the northern border of Chicago, approximately 45 minutes from downtown on the CTA, or half an hour via car (during light traffic). It has shops, restaurants, bars and Northwestern University, as well as some historic homes and lovely lakefront. Just beyond that is [[Wilmette]], with the fascinating '''Baha'i Temple'''.<br />
<br />
* [[Chicagoland#Lake_County|Ravinia]] is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Metra's UP-North line stops at the park gates, and the return train waits for late-ending concerts. The arts and crafts style architecture coupled with a dazzling array of acts make this a classic summer destination for Chicagoans and tourists. Bring food, a blanket, wine, and a citronella candle; buy anything you forgot on-site.<br />
<br />
* [[Brookfield (Illinois)|Brookfield]] is home to the Chicagoland area's other world-class zoo, the '''Brookfield Zoo'''.<br />
<br />
* Historic [[Galena (Illinois)|Galena]], three hours west-northwest of Chicago via I-90 and US-20, is great for hiking, sightseeing, and antiquing.<br />
<br />
* '''Six Flags Great America''', in [[Gurnee]] (40 miles north on I-94), has the biggest and wildest roller coasters in Illinois.<br />
<br />
* [[Peoria (Illinois)|Peoria]], in some ways a miniature Chicago, is a little over three hours away.<br />
<br />
* The [[Quad Cities]] — about 2.5&amp;ndash;3 hours away via I-55 to I-80 or I-90 to I-74 — bridge the Mississippi River forming a unique metropolitan area on the border of [[Iowa]] and Illinois.<br />
<br />
===Indiana===<br />
<br />
* The [[Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore|Indiana Dunes]] are a moderate drive away, and are also accessible via the South Shore commuter rail. If you've enjoyed the beaches in Chicago, you owe the Indiana Dunes a stop — that's where all the sand came from.<br />
<br />
* [[Gary]] is just over the border on the Skyway, with a skyline that rivals Chicago's for strength of effect — industrial monstrosity, in this case — with casinos, urban ruins, and a few entries by Prairie School architects Frank Lloyd Wright and George Maher.<br />
<br />
* Also just over the Skyway (before you reach Gary) is [[East Chicago|East Chicago's]] bizarre 19th century planned community, '''Marktown''', which looks like a small [[England|English]] village totally incongruous with the gigantic steel mills and the world's largest oil refinery which surround it.<br />
<br />
===Michigan===<br />
<br />
* Further along the lake from the Indiana Dunes are Michigan's dunes and summer resorts in [[Harbor Country]]. Keep your eyes open: Mayor Daley, University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer, and other notables summer here.<br />
<br />
* [[Detroit]] has many of Chicago's most hated sports rivals, and although fallen on hard times, it also has a musical and architectural heritage to compare with the Windy City.<br />
<br />
===Wisconsin===<br />
<br />
* [[Lake Geneva (Wisconsin)|Lake Geneva]], across the [[Wisconsin]] border, is the other big summer getaway. Nearby are the Kettle Moraine state parks, with good mountain biking.<br />
<br />
* [[Madison (Wisconsin)|Madison]] is located about two and half hours from Chicago on I-90 and via Van Galder buses. It is a vibrant city home to the giant University of Wisconsin and is known for its lively downtown, thriving culture, and beautiful scenery.<br />
<br />
* [[Milwaukee]] and its venerable breweries are less than two hours from Chicago on I-94, via Amtrak, and by intercity bus services.<br />
<br />
* [[Spring Green]] is an easy weekend trip from Chicago, about three and a half hours from town on I-90. It's the home of two unique architectural wonders: Frank Lloyd Wright's magnificent estate '''Taliesin''', and Alex Jordan's mysterious museum '''The House on the Rock'''.<br />
<br />
* The [[Wisconsin_Dells|Wisconsin Dells]] are another (wet) summer fun destination, just three hours north of the city by car (I-90/94), also accessible by Amtrak train.<br />
<br />
*[[Cedarburg]] is a popular festival town with a charming downtown featured on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located 20 miles north of downtown Milwaukee. Take 1-94 to Milwaukee and continue north on I-43.<br />
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{{related|Chicago_skyline_guide}}<br />
{{related|Along_the_Magnificent_Mile}}<br />
{{related|Loop_Art_Tour}}<br />
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[[WikiPedia:Chicago, Illinois]]<br />
[[wts:category:Chicago]]<br />
[[Dmoz:North_America/United_States/Illinois/Localities/C/Chicago/]]<br />
[[wikevent:Chicago]]<br />
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&lt;!--WEB-END--&gt;</div>132.160.54.160http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Talk:Chicago&diff=1713922Talk:Chicago2011-07-13T20:17:09Z<p>132.160.54.160: Undo revision 1713423 by Wrh2 (Talk)</p>
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<div>{| cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;height:100%;width:75%;&quot;<br />
| align=&quot;left&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot; colspan=&quot;3&quot; style=&quot;padding:7px 7px 7px 7px;background-color:#fcf0f4;&quot; |<br />
&lt;div style=&quot;margin:0;background:#f7d4e0;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:100%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #de8ca7;text-align:center;color:#000;padding-left:0.4em;padding-top:0.2em;padding-bottom:0.2em;&quot;&gt;&lt;big&gt;&lt;big&gt;&lt;big&gt;'''How to help the Wikitravel Chicago project'''&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/div&gt;<br />
<br />
The Chicago article is a showcase for Wikitravel. The coverage is extensive, perhaps more so than for any other city. Updating and refining existing content is still needed, but before adding new content check that the information is not already in the article, and that there aren't already some examples of what you are adding. We want to avoid a guide that is too bloated or crowded, and we don't need to list ''every'' hotel, bar or restaurant to have a excellent guide. In addition the maps are so '''saturated''' that it may be difficult to add further listings to them.<br />
<br />
If you are seeking to help, check the '''[[Talk:Chicago#To Do List|to do list]]'''. We need help to '''keep information current''', so if you have current knowledge of a section of town, please scan the appropriate district article for '''out of date information''', e.g., listings for businesses that have closed, outdated contact information, CTA station closures, etc.<br />
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If there is something important that is omitted, feel free to raise it on the discussion page, if you have found a hidden gem in your Chicago travels, let us know about it.<br />
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But above all, please do [[Wikitravel:Plunge forward|join the effort]] to keep this the best travel guide to Chicago there ever was.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Archives==<br />
* [[Talk:Chicago/Archives 2008-09]]<br />
* [[Talk:Chicago/Archives 2003-07]]<br />
* [[Talk:Chicago/Districts discussion]]<br />
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==To Do List==<br />
Here's what I think we need:<br />
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* '''Itineraries''' for districts outside the city center<br />
* Improved coverage of [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]] shopping<br />
* Improved coverage of &quot;do&quot; activities in the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]<br />
<br />
===Suburbs===<br />
Many suburbs are covered on the [[Chicagoland]] page and have only one attraction of note. However, there are a few that deserve fuller coverage as a complement to the Chicago set of articles, and need work accordingly. Post 'em here (but only if you're willing to work on them).<br />
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* [[Evanston]]<br />
* [[Oak Park]]<br />
<br />
Last updated by [[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 04:04, 20 May 2009 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Article status==<br />
* Stars (18): [[Chicago/Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Hyde Park]], [[Chicago/Near South]], [[Chicago skyline guide]], [[Chicago/Near North]], [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown]], [[Along the Magnificent Mile]], [[Chicago/Uptown]], [[Chicago/Pilsen]], [[Loop Art Tour]], [[Chicago]], [[Chicago/Wicker Park]], [[Chicago/Loop]], [[Chicago/North Lincoln]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore]], [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side]]<br />
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* Guides (8): [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side]], [[Chicago/Rogers Park]], [[Chicago/Near West Side]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side]], [[Chicago/Far West Side]], [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown]], [[O'Hare International Airport]]<br />
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== lead ==<br />
<br />
Re: [http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago&amp;diff=next&amp;oldid=1340783], my guess is that the IP thought that the word &quot;idea&quot; was a little bland after using such evocative phrases as &quot;truth of jazz&quot; and &quot;heart of comedy&quot;. (But at least it keeps the parallel construction, so I agree that it's better than having nothing there at all.) Is there a loftier noun that could be used to describe the skyscrapers? Engage a pun by saying &quot;height of architecture&quot; or something like that?<br />
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(On a related note, the lack of a descriptor before &quot;blues&quot; also rubs me the wrong way as it sounds clunky when it's followed by those &quot;___ of ___&quot; constructions.)<br />
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-- [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 08:37, 5 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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:It's the ''home'' of the blues? That's actually the adage from which the following metaphors are inspired. <br />
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:I rather like &quot;idea,&quot; and Marc's nicely built some continuity with that phrase [[Chicago_skyline_guide#Under_construction|elsewhere in the guide]]. If I were going to try and find fault with one of the descriptors, it would be &quot;truth,&quot; but I think we should resist the urge to wikittack the few turns of phrases on site that aspire to &quot;speak above a whisper.&quot; It's extremely easy to do, but I don't think we'll benefit from it. (Lest I be misunderstood, I'm not at all pointing fingers, just making a point.) --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 14:49, 5 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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::I was reading it as &quot;is the home of the blues and [the home of] the truth of jazz&quot; rather than &quot;is the home of the blues and [is] the truth of jazz.&quot; Honestly, I don't even know what the latter would mean. =) As for &quot;idea&quot;, it's fine if you like it; it just strikes me as more pedestrian than the abstractions that precede it. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 15:47, 5 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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== Summer ==<br />
<br />
Chicago's summers are not disgustingly hot. They are hot and humid at times. &quot;Disgustingly hot&quot; would be more identifiable with Phoenix, or pretty much any South Texas city or South Florida city, like Houston and Miami. I have been in Chicago in the summer when it was just 81 degrees, and I have been there when it was 91. But every day or every summer in Chicago is not like that, so by definition that does not make their summer's disgustingly hot. Phoenix, Miami, and Houston, however, ARE like that every day of the summer for every year. Therefore, their articles should have the term &quot;disgustingly hot&quot;. This needs to be changed. {{unsigned|66.192.176.30}}<br />
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:I'm inclined to agree that it ''should'' be changed. The lake keeps things pretty nice for [[Washington, D.C.|people]] used to far worse summers. The fact that swimming is a good cool off option makes it all the more an appealing part of the year from my perspective. (I can't believe, btw, that you are still pushing that taxi madness&amp;mdash;you need to explore the city a bit more, my friend.) --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 21:39, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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::The fact that this anonymous user keeps trying to insert false and frankly dangerous information about taxis casts aspersions over the worth of everything else he or she has to say. Nevertheless, while this article need not be married to the term &quot;disgustingly hot&quot; if there's a better descriptive, there is more to climate than 'degrees' &amp;mdash; the reason all the old folks go to Phoenix is because it's a dry heat, cool in the shade, low humidity. And the argument that Chicago can't be called hot because other cities are hotter is absurd. If that's true, why would we describe Miami as hot when Mexico City is so much hotter? Why would we describe Mexico City as hot when Vientiane is so much hotter? Answer: because the articles are independent of each other. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:13, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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:::It should also be noted that the anonymous user has employed inaccurate terms above &amp;mdash; the article does not say that &quot;Chicago's summers are disgustingly hot.&quot; It says that &quot;Many days in July and August are disgustingly hot.&quot; So the anonymous user has built an argument on a false premise and is arguing against a phrasing that does not actually exist. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:21, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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::::Hmm, you are correct as usual. I'm tempted to add a little non-weather-related plug for the summer in that section, though. Summer, especially late summer, is the one time of the year when I feel unambivalently happier to be in Chicago than anywhere else in the world. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 23:48, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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First of all, I never insert false information. If you walk away with nothing else, at least walk away with that. I did not say Chicago cannot be called hot in summer. It can be called &quot;hot and humid at times in the summer&quot;, that phrasing would be better. I said it shouldn't be called &quot;disgustingly hot&quot; because if you use that term, you have nowhere else to go when describing the summers of cities like Phoenix, Houston or Miami, which are actually &quot;disgustingly hot&quot; in the summer (dry heat or not for Phoenix). <br />
<br />
And as far as the taxi situation, ok here we go: The article states &quot;outside of the downtown, North Side, Near West, and Near South sides you will likely have greater difficulty hailing a taxi directly from the street&quot;. Well look at a map of the city of Chicago. All those aforementioned areas added together constitute roughly half of the city's land area! Then add to that several upper-class and middle-class neighborhoods on the South Side and Southwest like Hyde Park, Kenwood, Chatham, and Beverly, to name a few, where hailing taxis are easy too. Plus the upper and middle class sections of the Northwest Side and you technically have covered almost the entire city. Now of course, there will be several lower class areas where taxis ''themselves'' may not be as numerous in numbers, but when they do ride through the streets of those lower class areas, they still will sometimes stop if hailed. This is no different than New York City where taxis can be hailed, and are more numerous in Manhattan but less so in the Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island. New York City's article doesn't state &quot;outside of Manhattan taxis may be more difficult to hail from the street&quot;, so there should be no reason Chicago's article should have wording stating its difficult to hail a cab outside what really is a large portion of Chicago. In fact, it may be easier to hail a cab in the entire city of Chicago versus the entire city of New York because taxis are freely hailed in about half of Chicago's land area, and in New York City taxis concentrate on Manhattan only, which is not half of New York City's land area. Chicago, New York City, and Washington D.C. are considered American cities where taxis can be hailed from the street. Sorry for the long reply, but you asked.<br />
<br />
:As usual, your arguments seem irreconcilable with reality as I understand it. I've made a map of the city (about 30, actually), you can view it [[Chicago#Districts|here]]. What you are calling roughly half the city is actually less than a tenth of it... And did you miss my story on your talk page? To recap: ''taxis won't come pick you up '''even if you call''' in vast portions of the city!'' It has nothing to do with the &quot;class&quot; of the neighborhood, it's just a matter of fact that you won't see a taxi drive by in most of the city outside the center, even waiting half an hour on a main thoroughfare. And yes, that goes for Hyde Park and Beverly too. I'm really bewildered that you are still pushing this, and that you continue to [[Wikitravel:Edit war|edit war]] to try and reinsert it. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 22:44, 27 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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:: Indeed, it's wildly inaccurate to claim those areas constitute half or even a quarter of the city, which calls into question the writer's basic familiarity with the city. And, once again, there are presently no plans to describe Miami's weather in the Chicago article, just as there are no plans to describe [[Jakarta]]'s weather in the Miami article, which would require us to describe Miami's weather as mild. The terminology has no relationship. I fully expect that a complete New York article would say that city has the best pizza in the nation. So does this one. Doesn't matter. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:45, 27 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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If you are looking at your Chicago maps correctly, you will see that the downtown area, the North Side, Near West, and Near South sides added together do not constitute just a tenth of the city's land area. The Near North Side and the North Side stretch from Division all the way to the Howard border at the city's northern limits with Evanston. The Near South Side would go as far south as 35th Street and the Near West Side as far west as Western Ave. That entire land mass added together is not just a tenth of Chicago. Look again. An area that large doesn't deserve the terminology &quot;outside the downtown, North Side, Near West, and Near South sides you may find it difficult to hail a cab&quot; because, although that may be true, you are giving the reader an inaccurate perception of hailing cabs off the streets of Chicago. It is not hard to do; anyone in Chicago will tell you that. Look at it this way: New York City's article -doesn't- state &quot;outside of Manhattan (or perhaps some areas of Brooklyn) you may find it difficult to hail a taxi off the street&quot;, although that statement is true. People who live in the Bronx, Staten Island, or Queens find it more difficult hailing a taxi off the streets than people in Manhattan. So if you want to keep that terminology in Chicago's article, New York's article should have the same terminology. If you didn't find it necessary to state it's harder to hail a cab off the streets in the Bronx, Staten Island, or Queens versus Manhattan, there was no need to put that type of terminology in Chicago's article when referring to the South or West Sides. Keep it consistent.<br />
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:Good gracious man, that map is labeled. You can click on any of the individual district articles to view the district maps, and thus see that what you are stating is the opposite of what is fact. This discussion is surreal.<br />
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:With regards to taxis, my inclination is to think that you haven't really spent ''any'' time in the areas you are talking about. You are just as likely to be able to hail a cab in Chatham (as you assert) as you are to find MLK Jr. Highway in NYC (as you invented). Statements like &quot;several upper-class and middle-class neighborhoods on the South Side and Southwest like Hyde Park, Kenwood, Chatham, and Beverly, to name a few, where hailing taxis are easy too&quot; make it very clear to me that you are making assertions about areas you know next to nothing about, and likely have never been to. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:21, 28 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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Point blank. It is not hard to hail a taxi off the streets of Chicago. In most American cities, you must call a taxi to come pick you up. Chicago and New York City are exceptions to that rule. But both cities have areas where it's easier to hail a cab and areas where it may be somewhat more difficult yet not impossible to hail a cab off the street. For Chicago, the easier areas are downtown, North Side, Near South, and Near West Sides. The harder areas in Chicago may be the West Side, and some parts of the South Side. In New York City, the easier area is Manhattan. The harder areas are the Bronx, Staten Island, and parts of Brooklyn and Queens. So if they both are comparable in that regard, my arguement is that when you read the Chicago article it gives the reader the impression that it's virtually impossible outside a small area, whereas the New York article doesn't give that impression, yet the same is true for both cities. That's what I'm saying.<br />
<br />
: I don't know why you persist in thinking the New York article is a model for this one, since that article is (generously) at 'usable' status, two levels ''below'' this one. (Also, nobody from Chicago gives a crap how New York does anything.) Nevertheless, I have 25 years of experience of not being able to hail a taxi off the street up by Howard Street or anywhere in the vicinity of it. So you're objectively wrong. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]]<br />
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== Lede (again) ==<br />
<br />
I found the lede to this article to be misleading. Chicago is not the birthplace of jazz and the blues; those are from the South. Moreover, the local music scene isn't really the most important thing to the city's identity. My suggested rewrite was reverted; no particular objection to the content was specified. It is reproduced below. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 01:08, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
----<br />
:'''Chicago''' [http://choosechicago.com/] is the hub of the American [[Midwest (United States of America)|Midwest]], its identity partly formed as a gateway to the agricultural heartland of the country, and partly as a teeming metropolis of cultural expression and innovation. Economically, it has thrived as a central North American transportation nexus, whether in the age of ships, railroads, or airplanes.<br />
<br />
:The city is easy to find &amp;mdash; its picturesque [[Chicago skyline guide|skyline]] calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and [[Loop Art Tour|public art]], and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world. <br />
<br />
:Culturally, Chicago has become the adopted home of jazz and the blues, and a center of comedy and theater. It has shopping of an international caliber, while maintaining a local flair in architecture and food. The hustle and bustle of big city life have barely put a dent in real Midwestern friendliness.<br />
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What's a lede?--[[User:Burmesedays|Burmesedays]] 01:15, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:: Read back to the discussion above. Apparently the argument goes that &quot;home of&quot; does not equate to the &quot;birthplace of&quot;. Apparently ''the blues'', like a petulant teenager, has found its true home distant from its birth. --[[User:Inas|inas]] 01:26, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
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: That's... pretty boring, overall. The current version is interesting to read, whereas &quot;teeming metropolis of cultural expression and innovation&quot; feels like a jumble of buzzwords saying nothing about Chicago in particular. — [[User:Dguillaime|D. Guillaime]] 01:33, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
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<br />
:::[[:wikipedia:wikt:lede#English]] defines &quot;lede&quot;. It's a variant spelling of &quot;lead&quot; that is used only to refer to the opening section of a written work, like an encyclopedia article or a news article. And yes, I reverted Beland's contribution because it was '''dry and encyclopedic''' instead of '''lively travel writing'''. And because this is a star article, and reached star status with its current lede, I felt that any changes to the lede ought to be discussed here first, especially when they change the [[Wikitravel:Tone|Tone]] so much. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 08:57, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
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::::OK, here's another try, avoiding misleading claims (not the birthplace of jazz and the blues, meat packing is no longer a big industry) while trying to keep a livlier style. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 13:39, 19 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
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----<br />
<br />
As the hub of the [[Midwest (United States of America)|Midwest]], '''Chicago''' [http://choosechicago.com/] is easy to find &amp;mdash; its picturesque [[Chicago skyline guide|skyline]] calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and [[Loop Art Tour|public art]], and perhaps the finest downtown collection of historic and modern architecture in the world. Here, the age of railroads found its center and spawned a huge meatpacking industry; in more recent decades, airplanes have swooped in to connect the city to the world and carry its faith in social progress. <br />
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Known for its blues, jazz, comedy, theater, shopping, and fine dining, the hustle and bustle of life in America's &quot;Second City&quot; (a title now contested with Los Angeles) have barely put a dent in its genuine Midwestern friendliness.<br />
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----<br />
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:::::I'm a little confused regarding what exactly is &quot;misleding.&quot; The article neither claims Chicago is the birthplace of jazz or blues, nor that meat packing is currently a major industry. <br />
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:::::Marc's version is one of the most dynamic intros we have on the site—it's about the last one I think would be worth much effort tinkering with, when there are so many lifeless &quot;X is in Y&quot; bits floating around. It's possible to quibble endlessly about originality in writing, especially in a collaborative wiki environment. But I think we should resist the urge to [[tone|eye]] &quot;the neck of any author who dares to speak above a whisper or write above a nursery rhyme,&quot; and instead focus on improving the vast quantities of legitimately poor writing on the site. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 14:01, 19 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:Well, as a tourist visiting Chicago, I read that lede and I interpreted it as saying that Chicago was the birthplace of jazz and the blues. I had to do my own research before I was certain this was factually incorrect. I don't think this travel guide should sacrifice factual accuracy in the name of being &quot;dynamic&quot;. I tried to fix only that part of the intro, but that change was also reverted. It was requested that I discuss the issue here, so that's what I'm doing. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 14:30, 20 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
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::I just don't see what's misleading about calling it the Home of the Blues (and actually, it says nothing about it being the home, much less the birthplace of jazz). It's not a Wikitravel coinage—it's a ''well-known city slogan''. And regardless, if I say I'm going &quot;home,&quot; I mean to my house, not to a hospital in New York. Further down the article at [[Chicago#Jazz and blues]], the process by which the blues came to live in Chicago is explained.<br />
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::And you're most certainly not doing anything wrong in discussing it here. I just disagree with you ;) --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 18:19, 20 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:::Well, I was personally misled, because I thought the article was claiming that Chicago was the birthplace of the blues and jazz. I'm sure it reads differently to people who live in Chicago vs. those who don't know anything about it. If it's a well-known city slogan, the article should make that clear to people who have never heard it, as in &quot;Chicago calls itself 'The Home of the Blues'&quot;. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 15:12, 24 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
::::Sometimes clarity and poetry are mutually exclusive. The minor negative effects of a misunderstanding (one which, frankly, I don't expect a large number of people to have) are not worth disrupting the flow of the lede, IMO. Is it really a big deal if you were momentarily confused about the true birthplace of the blues? The rest of the article makes it clear that the blues migrated from the South along with several other cultural elements. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 18:47, 24 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
:::::I stopped reading before I got to the full explanation, and so walked away from the article with the wrong impression. Isn't the whole point of Wikitravel to give people accurate information about the places they visit? After having a discussion on the road, I concluded that this article was simply wrong, which undermines the site's credibility. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 19:52, 23 June 2010 (EDT)<br />
::::::Sorry, but that's your mistake, not the article's. Home ≠ birthplace. If it did, we'd all live in hospitals. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 20:04, 23 June 2010 (EDT)<br />
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== Hyperbole in the lead ==<br />
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The lead sounds like it was written by the Chicago Tourism Bureau. It is not the &quot;home of the blues,&quot; only electric or Chicago-style blues. I don't know what &quot;the truth of jazz&quot; means. New York has a stronger association with skyscrapers. It's midwestern friendliness is noted, so no need to insult other cities as surly in the next sentence. The first sentence should note that Chicago is the third biggest city in America and the capital of the midwest. The features of the city should be noted without sounding so cheesy. Hyperbole destroys an articles credibility. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:67.52.80.198|67.52.80.198]] ([[User_talk:67.52.80.198|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/67.52.80.198|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
:Yeah, and dry encyclopedic writing destroys an article's readability. I agree that &quot;the truth of jazz&quot; is a pretty meaningless phrase, but it sounds good and fits with what you'd find in any good travel article. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 13:30, 26 July 2010 (EDT)<br />
&quot;any good travel article&quot; doesn't need to exagerate to be colorful. Look at the articles for New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, or Berlin. They lead with the information a traveller would want, not meaningless praise. We can have a readable lead that people will like. There have been many changes, but the Chicago Tourism Bureau keeps changing it back.<br />
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:FYI, a good half of the Chicago Tourism Bureau has moved to D.C., but does miss his 26th St style pizza at Connie's quite dearly. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:06, 15 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:: I just think it's a shame that the New York Tourism Bureau chooses to keep conducting itself like this. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:33, 15 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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You betray your bias. I was citing the other cities not to bring conflict, but to show that Chicago's lead is in no way typical. It is an off-putting, over-exciting lie. I'm sorry your &quot;book&quot; contains the hyperbole lead, but lets make this online article easier to read and use. We don't need Chicago-patriots screaming their cities praise. Travel is about putting prejudices aside. {{unsigned|67.52.80.198}}<br />
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: There clearly isn't any [[Wikitravel:Consensus|consensus]] to tone down the lead, so I've reverted the latest changes until there is some agreement. While I'd tend to agree that the current lede does stray a bit into hyperbole, trimming it down to cold, boring facts is IMHO going too far in the opposite direction. [[Wikitravel:Tone]] encourages lively writing, so given the choice between the current version or a stark recitation of fact I'd prefer the status quo. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 17:35, 21 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:The other cities cited were at [[Wikitravel:Article status|guide status]], while this was the first huge city star article. Just for fun, lets quote the top of [[Wikitravel:Tone]] right here:<br />
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:''Every dimwit editor who sees himself as the source of all dreary blanc-mange plain porridge unleavened literature, licks his guillotine and eyes the neck of any author who dares to speak above a whisper or write above a nursery rhyme. -Ray Bradbury''<br />
<br />
:--[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:42, 21 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:I agree. This whole article reads like a travel brochure. People don't go to wikitravel to be convinced to go to a place. They've already decided to go and want clear, no-nonsense information about everything city related. Great cities speak for themselves. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:207.229.139.182|207.229.139.182]] ([[User_talk:207.229.139.182|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/207.229.139.182|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
::Don't tell us what people come here for. I think everyone here would agree this may be the best article on the site. It is the article to which the rest of us aspire when writing our own articles. It has been turned into a book that has a perfect review score on Amazon and sells better than ''Frommer's Chicago'' and ''Chicago for Dummies''. We are writing travel guides both for people who want to know where to go and what to do, as well as people who already know where they're going and what they're doing. We cater to both markets; deal with it. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 11:49, 31 January 2011 (EST)<br />
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== Willis / Sears Tower ==<br />
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There have been numerous edits to the Chicago articles in the past year to change &quot;Sears Tower&quot; to &quot;Willis Tower&quot;, most of which have been reverted. At some point &quot;Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower)&quot; is going to be the most common name. If we aren't there yet, then &quot;Sears Tower (officially Willis Tower)&quot; might be a decent compromise that will stave off further well-meaning edits. I don't know Chicago well enough to know which is better, so can anyone provide some input so that those of us watching this article know what to do with edits to the tower's name? -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 10:52, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
:I think it is important to call it both &quot;Sears Tower&quot; for historical recognition and &quot;Willis Tower&quot; for the sake of being completely up-to-date (and for interesting trivia). I agree that &quot;Sears Tower (''officially Willis Tower'')&quot; accomplishes this perfectly. <br />
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:The name appears many places throughout the Chicago pages though, most notably in [[Chicago#Architecture|Architecture]], [[Chicago_skyline_guide#Buildings|Buildings]], and [[Chicago/Loop#Visitor_centers|Skydeck]]. I would suggest noting the name change only in its first appearances on the Architecture and Buildings sections to avoid unnecessary confusion. By the time someone navigates to the Skydeck listing hopefully it will already be apparent to them. --[[User:Jtesla16|Jtesla16]] 11:48, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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::I suppose that's a reasonable compromise; the edits I made earlier today were merely to enforce what I saw as the existing consensus, that the building is still called the Sears Tower. I don't claim to be an expert. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 15:37, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:::There is an [[Chicago#By_taxi|infobox]] explaining the name change in the main article, but I think it would be fine to put the parenthetical after the first mention in the architecture section, for anyone who is confused, and missed the infobox. It's anecdotal, of course, but I was talking about the Sears Tower today (comparing it to the height of the ridiculously high Burj Khalifa) with people who neither familiar with Chicago nor terribly interested in skyscrapers or architecture, and it never even crossed my mind or theirs to refer to it as anything else. <br />
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:::I don't think that the Willis name is catching on, nor do I think it will, as the Sears Tower, unlike, say, Chicago's Standard Oil Building, is an icon with worldwide name recognition. Similarly, if the Eiffel Tower was whored out under corporate naming rights as the GazProm Tower, people would keep on calling it the Eiffel Tower. The notable exception, of course, is Wikipedia, where I'd say they are violating their own policies, by asserting without much evidential basis that Willis will become the more widespread usage. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 16:40, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::: [http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago_skyline_guide&amp;curid=50986&amp;diff=1528022&amp;oldid=1489225 This edit to the Skyline guide], as well as one to the USA article, are actually what prompted the discussion, since I've seen such edits reverted and was curious whether we had an agreement on this. It sounds like the parenthetical is a decent compromise to ward off those trying to &quot;fix&quot; the name. As to &quot;Sears&quot; vs &quot;Willis&quot;, it sounds very similar to when San Francisco tried to claim that &quot;Candlestick Park&quot; was actually &quot;3Com Park&quot; or &quot;Monster.com Park&quot; - aside from the guys in the broadcast booth I can't recall ever hearing anyone utter the new names, and if they had the scorn directed in their direction would have been fast and heavy. It got to the point that in 2004 there was actually a ballot measure passed to prevent the city from trying to rename the park again. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 16:50, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:::::I'm not sure what policies Wikipedia is violating by calling their article [[:wikipedia:Willis Tower]]. They have [[:wikipedia:WP:COMMONNAME]], of course, but it's my opinion that the plainest reading of it doesn't necessarily mean &quot;what do most people on the street call it&quot;, especially for things that do have official names. Most of the most reliable sources -- such as news articles and official sources -- will call it the Willis Tower, so that's a perfectly reasonable name for the article's title. (Our purposes, of course, are different; in our case, we definitely should prefer what most people call the building, so that travelers can better find it.) [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 17:03, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:::::::I'd be happy to wager that most official sources and news articles still call it the Sears Tower. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:05, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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::::::::I'm fine with 'Sears Tower (officially Willis Tower)' at the first mention. I spoke to a Chicago Architecture Foundation docent recently, and he said that they refer to it as the Sears Tower on their tours, but usually include a brief (and derisive) reference to Willis. As for Wikipedia, they had the name change in place the day the contract called for it, before any meaningful reading of [[:wikipedia:WP:COMMONNAME]] had been met. To be fair, though, it's obvious from their talk page that it was a small group of users who rammed it through, not the result of any consensus. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 18:38, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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==Bus table==<br />
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I'm moving this here for discussion &amp;mdash; I'm not sure we should devote this much space to bus transit between Chicago and a scant two cities. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 18:20, 26 September 2010 (EDT)<br />
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A summary of bus fares to [[Milwaukee]] and [[Minneapolis]] frequencies and services including the lowest internet fare, the walk-up ticket price and how often the buses run:<br />
{| border=0 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=2<br />
|-<br />
!<br />
! |Milwaukee lowest<br />
! |Milwaukee walkup<br />
! |Milwaukee frequency<br />
! |Minneapolis lowest<br />
! |Minneapolis walkup<br />
! |Minneapolis frequency<br />
! |wifi<br />
! |110v outlets<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''''Amtrak²'''''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $22<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $22<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 7x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $56<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $56-$74<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ffcc&quot; | 1x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Greyhound'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $6<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $16<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 8x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $27<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $65<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 5x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Ind. Trails'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | ?<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | ?<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ffcc&quot; | 1x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Megabus'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $1<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $20³<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;33ff99&quot; | 4x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $1<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $24³<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;33ff99&quot; | 3-4x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ffff66&quot; | Some<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Wisconsin'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $26<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $26<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 14x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
''²Train. AAA, ISIC, SA, Senior (walk-up) discounts: Milwaukee $18, Minneapolis from $47.''<br />
''³Tickets must be purchased via internet or telephone($3 fee).''<br />
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== Coyotes downtown? ==<br />
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Not sure whether or where this might fit it in the article. Seemed worth posting, though:<br />
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/11/16/let-loose-the-coyotes-chicago-embraces-rat-hunting-predators/<br />
[[User:Pashley|Pashley]] 05:37, 25 November 2010 (EST)<br />
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:Heh, that article mentions &quot;nuisance problems, like mice, rats, and rabbits.&quot; Chicago does have an unusually large number of weird nocturnal urban bunnies, but I never thought of them as a nuisance. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 11:27, 25 November 2010 (EST)<br />
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== Lead needs more color ==<br />
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The lead was so boring before. Everyone knows that blues and jazz are centered in Chicago, that people are super-friendly there unlike every other city that size, and that there is days weeks and months of stuff to see in Chicago.<br />
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But there might be some foreigners reading this and we need to convince them to come to Chicago! We should add more color to the lead. I added some real colorful stuff. It's not all true, mind you, but color is more important than truth. Chicago!<br />
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:&quot;Color&quot; is not more important than truth, and your edits were nothing but vandalism. Besides, if someone were to visit based on their love of &quot;pubic art&quot; and the &quot;ambiguous sexuality&quot; of Midwesterners and Subway Restaurant employees, they would likely be highly disappointed and they'd go home and tell their countrymen that Chicago is overrated and not worth the visit. [[User:ChubbyWimbus|ChubbyWimbus]] 04:24, 28 February 2011 (EST)<br />
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I agree that truth is more important than color. But legitimate concerns about the lead's bombastic claims were repeatedly brought up and shouted down by people who said &quot;we need color, your edits are boring.&quot; Some of the people round here think its dull writing if it doesn't have a bunch of meaningless color that isnt based on reality.<br />
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Satire, not vandalism.<br />
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We need to calm down the lead and bring it in line with the helpful, informativie, and interesting nature of the rest of this site. Not a &quot;Chicago is awesome&quot; banner. {{unsigned|132.160.54.207‎}}<br />
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: As the article's history and this talk page shows, this anonymous user is trolling; please revert any further contributions. While there are legitimate points to be made about the article being too promotional, feeding the trolls is counter-productive. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 15:28, 28 February 2011 (EST)<br />
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Can we have a discussion about making the lead appealing and informative without being so grabby? With consensus, huh? &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.155|132.160.54.155]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.155|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.155|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
:Sure. First, what do you mean by &quot;grabby&quot;? [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 09:49, 13 March 2011 (EDT)<br />
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I think the lead is laying on the gravy a bit heavy. Let's have some biscuits. <br />
<br />
The first paragraph could be shorter. The last two sentences could be one. &quot;World-class luxury mingles with real Midwestern friendliness in a city that likes to swagger.&quot; How about that?<br />
<br />
We can replace the whole first paragraph with...<br />
<br />
&quot;Ready to laugh, cry, sing the blues and swagger through the third-biggest city in America? Chicago has been there for trains, planes, hog-butcherin', and skyscrapers. World-class luxury mingles with real Midwestern friendliness. Because around here, everything is done &quot;Chicago style!&quot;<br />
<br />
Or no? I wanna work with you guys. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.43.101|132.160.43.101]] ([[User_talk:132.160.43.101|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.43.101|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:It would help if you registered for an account; your IP address changes a lot and that makes it hard to contact you. Anyway, it's difficult to talk about changes to the lead without identifying what you feel is wrong with it. Is it just that it's too long? I don't think it is; we don't need to ramble, but the lead should be substantial enough to give the reader a good idea of what they'll find in the rest of the article. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 21:25, 13 March 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Ok, I'll think about this account thing. Bear in mind that I did &quot;hyperbole in the lead&quot; and this and that's it.<br />
<br />
You are right that the lead should be &quot;substantial enough to give the reader a good idea of what they'll find in the rest of the article.&quot; The rest of the article is very good, great even. Concise, complete, and with some helpful swagger in the writing too.<br />
<br />
The lead isn't concise. It is coming from too many places at once, like an Illinois twister. <br />
<br />
&quot;Chicago is where blues went eletric and jazz found its swing. Comedy and cuisine adapted and were adopted again by the rest of America from this skyscraper metropolise. Hogbutchering and moonshining are gone, but the Second City hasn't lost its downhome charm.&quot;<br />
<br />
That mentions blues, jazz, comedy, food (bbq, pizza, etc), skycrapers, The Jungle and gangsters, Second City, along with its downhome charm (I wanted to say swagger, but didn't).<br />
<br />
It cuts out some of the lesser-known references from the first paragraph, but will leave it stronger. Plus the &quot;downhome&quot; segways into the second paragraph. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.160|132.160.54.160]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.160|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.160|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:Well if you don't get an account, at least sign your posts. =)<br />
:I'm starting to see what you mean, but I think we might be able to tighten up the focus without actually shortening the lead. I think it's really the perfect length on a page this size; three good-sized paragraphs provides a nice introduction. If there's any place to err on the side of verbosity, it's in the lead, which is supposed to grab a reader's attention. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 19:59, 14 March 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I agree about grabbing a readers attention. I think we can be more informative without loosing flavor. I like my line &quot;Chicago is where blues went electric and jazz found its swing.&quot; We can play up the &quot;Second City&quot; theme, in that Chicago puts its own style on Americana. <br />
<br />
Before I went at the lead with my own take, someone was graffiting the lead consistantly and with some stuff that was pretty obscene. There are other examples. I think people are graffiting because they are bothered by the unabashed lead. [[User:132.160.54.162|132.160.54.162]]<br />
<br />
:Well, I have to be honest that it's hard to defend words I didn't myself write, and it seems the main authors of this article are busy elsewhere. My feeling, more or less, is that while encyclopedias might be able to be written by committee, when it comes to lively, creative writing such as this, it's going to have to come down to one person just taking it and running with it. So I'm reluctant to try to assemble something &quot;better&quot; rather than leaving the distinctive voice that is already present. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 20:46, 24 March 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Articles don't have &quot;main authors.&quot; Bullys protecting their handiwork is not the point of a wiki.<br />
<br />
Wikitravel says color and information must coexist.<br />
<br />
So, I don't see any ojections around here to me changing the lead, except from the guys trying to sell books on EBAY. {{unsigned|132.160.54.156}}<br />
<br />
::Ah, so the facade of reasonableness drops. Yes, articles do indeed have main authors - or &quot;primary contributors&quot; if you will. A simple look at the page history will make it abundantly clear who has done the majority of work on this article. Also, as you will note, I am not trying to sell anything on &quot;EBAY&quot; [sic]. My concern is that the lively writing authored by the primary contributors to this article will be watered down because an anonymous IP address somewhere in Internet-land thinks it's too promotional. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 08:30, 1 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I'm not the only reader who thinks its too promotional. Thats why it is susceptable to graffiti.<br />
<br />
I am being reasonable, asking for a reasonable intro, not a meaningless one. &quot;It can't change, its so colorful&quot; is not reasonable. Sure, there are some people contributing more than others, but that doesn't make their opinions more important. As an IP address, my contributions are not less valid than someone who spends alot of time on their user page.<br />
<br />
Go to the EBAY (I'll spell it as I like) page and you will see a bunch of ridiculous reviews made by meat puppets. The primary conts are selling a book. If that is the purpose of this site, I'll back off, but I thought its to give quality info to travellers.<br />
<br />
So, its &quot;watered down&quot; if it has more info?<br />
<br />
I don't know why Chicago residents are so defensive about their city. I think it has to do with an inferiority complex next to LA and NYC. Chicago can stand along side any city in the world with its own merit, it doesn't need invented praise.<br />
<br />
Nobody except the Chicago gang has commented in support of the lead. I'm going to make some minor changes and we can go from there.<br />
<br />
&lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.163|132.160.54.163]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.163|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.163|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:You really aren't being reasonable. You've unilaterally declared that this article is too promotional, rather than listening to opposing opinions. You prattle on about &quot;EBAY&quot; -- I'm not even sure what you mean by that: reviews for what? -- and I am not a member of the &quot;Chicago gang&quot;, whatever that means. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 13:11, 3 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Sorry, not ebay, Amazon, my mistake. Look at the reviews, they are written in the same style as the old lead. &quot;Wow, buy this book, it heals Leprosy!&quot;<br />
<br />
Other people bring up the lead and it was always shouted down. If changes were suggested they were labelled bland. My edit isn't bland, its colorful and truthful. It tells people interesting stuff about Chicago.<br />
<br />
Did you notice that the lead used to link to Choosechicago.com? I got rid of that. I said it before and I'll say it again, the old lead was written by someone with a vested interest in increasing tourist numbers to Chicago.<br />
<br />
I like being flippant and childish on talk pages. I think its fun. But the article exists for the reader. Lets give them good info without being a dusty old tome. <br />
<br />
You and me, like the Blues Brothers. We're on a mission from God.<br />
<br />
:We ''always'' link official tourism sites. Why would you remove it? [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 09:23, 4 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::After doing some research, I've reverted the entire change, as it contained a number of inaccuracies: in particular, jazz didn't &quot;find its swing&quot; in Chicago at all. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 12:43, 4 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Chicago jazz distinguishes itself from other styles in a variety of ways, and Chicago-style means Swing Jazz. That is not a factual statement, it is a blend of color and information.<br />
<br />
Are you saying that it is verifiable that the &quot;truth of jazz&quot; is in Chicago? That is like saying the best jazz is in Chicago. We can say &quot;alot of the best jazz is in Chicago&quot; but your revert is not more true. Which do you prefer, color or truth? &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.162|132.160.54.162]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.162|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.162|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:Don't try to change the subject. The basic point to remember here is that the version you changed had widespread support, and was viewed by many eyes while this article was being reviewed for Star status. That means you better have some really good reasons for changing it, and so far &quot;I don't like it&quot; is about all you've come up with. Try to garner some consensus for your problems with the lead before making any further changes. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 12:07, 6 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Widespread support? There is consensus for change. It has been brought up numerous times for improvement and always shouted down by a few individuals. Just like you are doing now.<br />
<br />
The widespread defacement of this page can be viewed as adding to the consensus for change.<br />
<br />
This article deserves a gold star for its completeness. Many people overlooked the bombastic lead for that reason, I think.<br />
<br />
At least part of the lead needs to be changed to make this article easier to use, more informative, and less whimsical.<br />
<br />
You've still failed to help improve the lead, only champion it as perfect. I'm not the one saying &quot;I don't like it.&quot; I have specific beefs. You have general praise.<br />
<br />
So are you gonna get on the trolley of progress?<br />
<br />
&lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.159|132.160.54.159]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.159|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.159|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:It's not perfect. Your changes made it significantly worse. There's no &quot;consensus for change&quot; here; what we have are a bunch of IP addresses who've made few if any edits to our travel guides, and whom (for all we know) could be one person having a laugh. Frankly, we put a lot more stock in the opinions of long-time editors who have a proven knack for writing travel guides rather than visitors who complain rather needlessly about &quot;boosterism&quot;. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 21:36, 7 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
It was made &quot;significantly worse&quot;? So it started out bad. Agreed. I'm changing it back. Can we let it hang a few days, see if we get some criticism? {{unsigned|132.160.54.158}}<br />
<br />
: To the anon - please either create an account or at least sign your posts with four tildes (&lt;nowiki&gt;~~~~&lt;/nowiki&gt;) so that these discussions are easier to follow. Regarding the [http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago&amp;curid=1561&amp;diff=1660379&amp;oldid=1660052&amp;rcid=1656362 latest revert], I've been following this conversation and don't have strong feelings about either edit version, but if we're going to use the new version then please stop removing the official Chicago link (see [[Wikitravel:External links]]). -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 14:57, 12 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::Jazz didn't &quot;find its swing&quot; in Chicago; &quot;downhome&quot; is a word no self-respecting Chicagoan would use; these and the gratuitous &quot;Chicago!&quot; at the end of the paragraph all mark the revision as entirely non-serious and completely unacceptable. I'd be interested to see a serious defense of this revision that didn't start with &quot;no one else has objected to it&quot;. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 19:01, 12 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::The Chicago style of Jazz is often called Swing Jazz. It is a more upbeat, dancable big band sound. I think the first line of the new edit is its best strength, especially since the old &quot;home of blues and truth of jazz&quot; was poorly worded.<br />
<br />
:::If you object to the word &quot;downhome,&quot; please change it. Maybe Chicagoans don't say it much, but it is a Midwest term. We are trying to say that Chicago is a big city but still has small town friendliness.<br />
<br />
:::I removed the &quot;Chicago!&quot;. Ok, maybe that was a bit of a joke. But it would have been appropriate in the old lead.<br />
<br />
:::If you want the link back in, go for it.<br />
<br />
:::I just don't want a &quot;COME TO CHICAGO!&quot; lead. Something more like &quot;Chicago is a great destiniation, here is why&quot; would be more palatable.<br />
<br />
:::Tildy tildy tildy [[User:132.160.54.147|132.160.54.147]] 14:40, 14 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::::I always thought of swing jazz as more of a New York thing (even Benny Goodman left Chicago), but I'm no expert, and regardless I'd prefer that phrasing over the moderately incomprehensible &quot;truth of jazz&quot;. I'm hoping at least a few other current or former Chicagoans will weigh in, but thank you all for moving back from edit warring to calm(-ish) discussion. – [[User:Dguillaime|D. Guillaime]] 20:53, 15 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
===Cont.===<br />
<br />
I guess the change being proposed here is from:<br />
<br />
''Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz, the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. Butcher of hogs and believer in progress, it is one of the world's great cities, and yet the metropolitan luxuries of theater, shopping, and fine dining have barely put a dent in real Midwestern friendliness. It's a city with a swagger, but without the surliness or even the fake smiles found in other cities of its size.''<br />
<br />
to:<br />
<br />
''Chicago is where blues went electric and jazz found its swing. Comedy and cuisine adapted and were adopted again by the rest of America from this skyscraper metropolis. Hogbutchering and moonshining are gone, but the Second City hasn't lost its downhome charm.''<br />
<br />
While I do genuinely appreciate that someone is taking the challenge to heart and trying to write something original (rather than simply neutering existing writing), to me this would seem a clear degradation in style. The only part that works well is the first sentence—which I like. The second sentence is a weak watery construction, serving only to mention the items that would otherwise be forgotten from the existing version (comedy &amp; skyscrapers). The third one is quite cute, and I like it, but &quot;downhome&quot; is a jarring term for Chicago—it's a little too southern; a little too country.<br />
<br />
Now on the other hand, the original intro has a lot going for it. The introductory sentence has a neat structure of parallel metaphors touching on Chicago's biggest contributions to the world of American aesthetics/culture—it's a punchy way to lead off the article, and one which serves as a hook, to get the reader to figure out why the city is these things. The next puts the city at the center of the nation's transit infrastructure, which aside from finance is probably the city's most prominent economic role in the country. I'm a ''big'' fan of the third sentence, with another punchy line (&quot;butcher of hogs and believer in progress&quot;—c'mon, this is great stuff), followed with what I think is one of the main reasons visitors to the United States really should make a point of visiting—the city has all you could want in terms of urbanity and culture, but still represents the country well in terms of casual American hospitality. <br />
<br />
The fourth sentence is IMO a little wanting, as the second clause is kind of an awkward veiled dig at the two cities in the country larger than Chicago, but it still serves as a good concluding line to the lede. I initially suggested that it might work better as an overt shot: &quot;without the surliness of a New York or the fake smiles of L.A.&quot; But maybe an even more abstract version would be better? Again, the point being made is worth emphasizing, because I think it's a main selling point of the city.<br />
<br />
Lest I be accused of some sort of bias..., I did not actually write the existing version. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 13:45, 7 June 2011 (EDT)<br />
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::My main concerns with the revised lead are the discounting of New York's contribution to swing and the general limp fit-everything-into-as-few-sentences-as-possible writing. And I agree &quot;downhome&quot; doesn't sound right.<br />
<br />
::For the last sentence of the current lead, the semi-alliteration between &quot;swagger&quot; and &quot;surliness&quot; could be emphasized to provide a more generic but more poetic contrast.<br />
<br />
::-- [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 16:02, 7 June 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::I've thought about this too much, methinks, but how about ''&quot;It's a big city with a big swagger, but with an uncommon shortfall of surliness or pretense.&quot;'' --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:47, 18 June 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I wrote the &quot;blues went electric&quot; revision. I read your criticisms and tried to give it another go. This one incorporates more from the old version, which I'm starting to appreciate more. But, I took off some phrases that I thought were still over the top (days, weeks and months) and tried to introduce some other flavor.<br />
<br />
I put two movie references in, but I think they are appropriate. Ferris and the Brothers both have Chicago as a character in the movie and give people who've never visited there a picture to put in their heads. The last sentence of the second paragraph is new, but touches on the friendliness of people while bringing up comedy and nightlife in Chicago as well as the many sports teams.<br />
<br />
<br />
Anyway, just trying to find a good tone in the lead for this increasingly excellent article. [[User:132.160.43.101|132.160.43.101]] 03:23, 13 June 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:The new lead is improved over previous attempts at revision, but it just doesn't flow like the old one does. (And when did Ferris Bueller ever try to ''tame'' Chicago's swagger? If anything, he added to it.) [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 21:27, 17 June 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I disagree that the old one &quot;flows&quot;. Revision is going back up to generate comments from 3rd parties. [[User:132.160.43.101|132.160.43.101]] 18:36, 3 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:We've had several third parties comment, and you're the only one who likes it. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 21:30, 3 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:This is the place to solicit comments, not the article itself. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 20:24, 6 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
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There have been numerous 3rd party comments supporting changes and revisions. If we leave the old one up, we will only get continued vandalism (which is an arguement for change).<br />
<br />
Revision needs to be up so that people can comment on the talk page.<br />
[[User:132.160.54.151|132.160.54.151]] 19:16, 7 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:What numerous 3rd-party comments. I only see you, and vandals, and I'm still not convinced there's a difference there. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 10:18, 8 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
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I'm trying to make a good intro here. You are trying to stop any progress. On this discussion board the lead has been brought up many times. Once by me, other times by others.<br />
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Vandalism is an arguement for change.<br />
<br />
The hyperbole lead is too much. It needs change. [[User:132.160.43.101|132.160.43.101]] 15:34, 10 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
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: While I'm inclined to agree that the intro is too flowery, the current approach of continually re-adding your preferred version with snarky edit comments is one that isn't helping your credibility. I suggest you might have more luck concentrating your efforts elsewhere, and eventually someone who both cares about improving the text and also is more careful not to alienate other contributors will come along to enact the change you profess to want. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 19:05, 10 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
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Credibility?<br />
<br />
I don't need credibility. All I need is better material.<br />
<br />
You admit it is flawed, help fix it. Get rid of this &quot;Chicago is the best!&quot; attitude, it isn't what wikitravel is about.<br />
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Help make it better, or stop edit warring.<br />
[[User:132.160.54.160|132.160.54.160]] 16:17, 13 July 2011 (EDT)</div>132.160.54.160http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Talk:Chicago&diff=1713408Talk:Chicago2011-07-12T22:41:15Z<p>132.160.54.160: /* Cont. */</p>
<hr />
<div>{| cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;height:100%;width:75%;&quot;<br />
| align=&quot;left&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot; colspan=&quot;3&quot; style=&quot;padding:7px 7px 7px 7px;background-color:#fcf0f4;&quot; |<br />
&lt;div style=&quot;margin:0;background:#f7d4e0;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:100%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #de8ca7;text-align:center;color:#000;padding-left:0.4em;padding-top:0.2em;padding-bottom:0.2em;&quot;&gt;&lt;big&gt;&lt;big&gt;&lt;big&gt;'''How to help the Wikitravel Chicago project'''&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/div&gt;<br />
<br />
The Chicago article is a showcase for Wikitravel. The coverage is extensive, perhaps more so than for any other city. Updating and refining existing content is still needed, but before adding new content check that the information is not already in the article, and that there aren't already some examples of what you are adding. We want to avoid a guide that is too bloated or crowded, and we don't need to list ''every'' hotel, bar or restaurant to have a excellent guide. In addition the maps are so '''saturated''' that it may be difficult to add further listings to them.<br />
<br />
If you are seeking to help, check the '''[[Talk:Chicago#To Do List|to do list]]'''. We need help to '''keep information current''', so if you have current knowledge of a section of town, please scan the appropriate district article for '''out of date information''', e.g., listings for businesses that have closed, outdated contact information, CTA station closures, etc.<br />
<br />
If there is something important that is omitted, feel free to raise it on the discussion page, if you have found a hidden gem in your Chicago travels, let us know about it.<br />
<br />
But above all, please do [[Wikitravel:Plunge forward|join the effort]] to keep this the best travel guide to Chicago there ever was.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Archives==<br />
* [[Talk:Chicago/Archives 2008-09]]<br />
* [[Talk:Chicago/Archives 2003-07]]<br />
* [[Talk:Chicago/Districts discussion]]<br />
<br />
==To Do List==<br />
Here's what I think we need:<br />
<br />
* '''Itineraries''' for districts outside the city center<br />
* Improved coverage of [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]] shopping<br />
* Improved coverage of &quot;do&quot; activities in the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]<br />
<br />
===Suburbs===<br />
Many suburbs are covered on the [[Chicagoland]] page and have only one attraction of note. However, there are a few that deserve fuller coverage as a complement to the Chicago set of articles, and need work accordingly. Post 'em here (but only if you're willing to work on them).<br />
<br />
* [[Evanston]]<br />
* [[Oak Park]]<br />
<br />
Last updated by [[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 04:04, 20 May 2009 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Article status==<br />
* Stars (18): [[Chicago/Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Hyde Park]], [[Chicago/Near South]], [[Chicago skyline guide]], [[Chicago/Near North]], [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown]], [[Along the Magnificent Mile]], [[Chicago/Uptown]], [[Chicago/Pilsen]], [[Loop Art Tour]], [[Chicago]], [[Chicago/Wicker Park]], [[Chicago/Loop]], [[Chicago/North Lincoln]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore]], [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side]]<br />
<br />
* Guides (8): [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side]], [[Chicago/Rogers Park]], [[Chicago/Near West Side]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side]], [[Chicago/Far West Side]], [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown]], [[O'Hare International Airport]]<br />
<br />
== lead ==<br />
<br />
Re: [http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago&amp;diff=next&amp;oldid=1340783], my guess is that the IP thought that the word &quot;idea&quot; was a little bland after using such evocative phrases as &quot;truth of jazz&quot; and &quot;heart of comedy&quot;. (But at least it keeps the parallel construction, so I agree that it's better than having nothing there at all.) Is there a loftier noun that could be used to describe the skyscrapers? Engage a pun by saying &quot;height of architecture&quot; or something like that?<br />
<br />
(On a related note, the lack of a descriptor before &quot;blues&quot; also rubs me the wrong way as it sounds clunky when it's followed by those &quot;___ of ___&quot; constructions.)<br />
<br />
-- [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 08:37, 5 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
:It's the ''home'' of the blues? That's actually the adage from which the following metaphors are inspired. <br />
<br />
:I rather like &quot;idea,&quot; and Marc's nicely built some continuity with that phrase [[Chicago_skyline_guide#Under_construction|elsewhere in the guide]]. If I were going to try and find fault with one of the descriptors, it would be &quot;truth,&quot; but I think we should resist the urge to wikittack the few turns of phrases on site that aspire to &quot;speak above a whisper.&quot; It's extremely easy to do, but I don't think we'll benefit from it. (Lest I be misunderstood, I'm not at all pointing fingers, just making a point.) --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 14:49, 5 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
::I was reading it as &quot;is the home of the blues and [the home of] the truth of jazz&quot; rather than &quot;is the home of the blues and [is] the truth of jazz.&quot; Honestly, I don't even know what the latter would mean. =) As for &quot;idea&quot;, it's fine if you like it; it just strikes me as more pedestrian than the abstractions that precede it. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 15:47, 5 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Summer ==<br />
<br />
Chicago's summers are not disgustingly hot. They are hot and humid at times. &quot;Disgustingly hot&quot; would be more identifiable with Phoenix, or pretty much any South Texas city or South Florida city, like Houston and Miami. I have been in Chicago in the summer when it was just 81 degrees, and I have been there when it was 91. But every day or every summer in Chicago is not like that, so by definition that does not make their summer's disgustingly hot. Phoenix, Miami, and Houston, however, ARE like that every day of the summer for every year. Therefore, their articles should have the term &quot;disgustingly hot&quot;. This needs to be changed. {{unsigned|66.192.176.30}}<br />
<br />
:I'm inclined to agree that it ''should'' be changed. The lake keeps things pretty nice for [[Washington, D.C.|people]] used to far worse summers. The fact that swimming is a good cool off option makes it all the more an appealing part of the year from my perspective. (I can't believe, btw, that you are still pushing that taxi madness&amp;mdash;you need to explore the city a bit more, my friend.) --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 21:39, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
::The fact that this anonymous user keeps trying to insert false and frankly dangerous information about taxis casts aspersions over the worth of everything else he or she has to say. Nevertheless, while this article need not be married to the term &quot;disgustingly hot&quot; if there's a better descriptive, there is more to climate than 'degrees' &amp;mdash; the reason all the old folks go to Phoenix is because it's a dry heat, cool in the shade, low humidity. And the argument that Chicago can't be called hot because other cities are hotter is absurd. If that's true, why would we describe Miami as hot when Mexico City is so much hotter? Why would we describe Mexico City as hot when Vientiane is so much hotter? Answer: because the articles are independent of each other. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:13, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
:::It should also be noted that the anonymous user has employed inaccurate terms above &amp;mdash; the article does not say that &quot;Chicago's summers are disgustingly hot.&quot; It says that &quot;Many days in July and August are disgustingly hot.&quot; So the anonymous user has built an argument on a false premise and is arguing against a phrasing that does not actually exist. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:21, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
::::Hmm, you are correct as usual. I'm tempted to add a little non-weather-related plug for the summer in that section, though. Summer, especially late summer, is the one time of the year when I feel unambivalently happier to be in Chicago than anywhere else in the world. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 23:48, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
First of all, I never insert false information. If you walk away with nothing else, at least walk away with that. I did not say Chicago cannot be called hot in summer. It can be called &quot;hot and humid at times in the summer&quot;, that phrasing would be better. I said it shouldn't be called &quot;disgustingly hot&quot; because if you use that term, you have nowhere else to go when describing the summers of cities like Phoenix, Houston or Miami, which are actually &quot;disgustingly hot&quot; in the summer (dry heat or not for Phoenix). <br />
<br />
And as far as the taxi situation, ok here we go: The article states &quot;outside of the downtown, North Side, Near West, and Near South sides you will likely have greater difficulty hailing a taxi directly from the street&quot;. Well look at a map of the city of Chicago. All those aforementioned areas added together constitute roughly half of the city's land area! Then add to that several upper-class and middle-class neighborhoods on the South Side and Southwest like Hyde Park, Kenwood, Chatham, and Beverly, to name a few, where hailing taxis are easy too. Plus the upper and middle class sections of the Northwest Side and you technically have covered almost the entire city. Now of course, there will be several lower class areas where taxis ''themselves'' may not be as numerous in numbers, but when they do ride through the streets of those lower class areas, they still will sometimes stop if hailed. This is no different than New York City where taxis can be hailed, and are more numerous in Manhattan but less so in the Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island. New York City's article doesn't state &quot;outside of Manhattan taxis may be more difficult to hail from the street&quot;, so there should be no reason Chicago's article should have wording stating its difficult to hail a cab outside what really is a large portion of Chicago. In fact, it may be easier to hail a cab in the entire city of Chicago versus the entire city of New York because taxis are freely hailed in about half of Chicago's land area, and in New York City taxis concentrate on Manhattan only, which is not half of New York City's land area. Chicago, New York City, and Washington D.C. are considered American cities where taxis can be hailed from the street. Sorry for the long reply, but you asked.<br />
<br />
:As usual, your arguments seem irreconcilable with reality as I understand it. I've made a map of the city (about 30, actually), you can view it [[Chicago#Districts|here]]. What you are calling roughly half the city is actually less than a tenth of it... And did you miss my story on your talk page? To recap: ''taxis won't come pick you up '''even if you call''' in vast portions of the city!'' It has nothing to do with the &quot;class&quot; of the neighborhood, it's just a matter of fact that you won't see a taxi drive by in most of the city outside the center, even waiting half an hour on a main thoroughfare. And yes, that goes for Hyde Park and Beverly too. I'm really bewildered that you are still pushing this, and that you continue to [[Wikitravel:Edit war|edit war]] to try and reinsert it. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 22:44, 27 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
:: Indeed, it's wildly inaccurate to claim those areas constitute half or even a quarter of the city, which calls into question the writer's basic familiarity with the city. And, once again, there are presently no plans to describe Miami's weather in the Chicago article, just as there are no plans to describe [[Jakarta]]'s weather in the Miami article, which would require us to describe Miami's weather as mild. The terminology has no relationship. I fully expect that a complete New York article would say that city has the best pizza in the nation. So does this one. Doesn't matter. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:45, 27 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
If you are looking at your Chicago maps correctly, you will see that the downtown area, the North Side, Near West, and Near South sides added together do not constitute just a tenth of the city's land area. The Near North Side and the North Side stretch from Division all the way to the Howard border at the city's northern limits with Evanston. The Near South Side would go as far south as 35th Street and the Near West Side as far west as Western Ave. That entire land mass added together is not just a tenth of Chicago. Look again. An area that large doesn't deserve the terminology &quot;outside the downtown, North Side, Near West, and Near South sides you may find it difficult to hail a cab&quot; because, although that may be true, you are giving the reader an inaccurate perception of hailing cabs off the streets of Chicago. It is not hard to do; anyone in Chicago will tell you that. Look at it this way: New York City's article -doesn't- state &quot;outside of Manhattan (or perhaps some areas of Brooklyn) you may find it difficult to hail a taxi off the street&quot;, although that statement is true. People who live in the Bronx, Staten Island, or Queens find it more difficult hailing a taxi off the streets than people in Manhattan. So if you want to keep that terminology in Chicago's article, New York's article should have the same terminology. If you didn't find it necessary to state it's harder to hail a cab off the streets in the Bronx, Staten Island, or Queens versus Manhattan, there was no need to put that type of terminology in Chicago's article when referring to the South or West Sides. Keep it consistent.<br />
<br />
:Good gracious man, that map is labeled. You can click on any of the individual district articles to view the district maps, and thus see that what you are stating is the opposite of what is fact. This discussion is surreal.<br />
<br />
:With regards to taxis, my inclination is to think that you haven't really spent ''any'' time in the areas you are talking about. You are just as likely to be able to hail a cab in Chatham (as you assert) as you are to find MLK Jr. Highway in NYC (as you invented). Statements like &quot;several upper-class and middle-class neighborhoods on the South Side and Southwest like Hyde Park, Kenwood, Chatham, and Beverly, to name a few, where hailing taxis are easy too&quot; make it very clear to me that you are making assertions about areas you know next to nothing about, and likely have never been to. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:21, 28 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
Point blank. It is not hard to hail a taxi off the streets of Chicago. In most American cities, you must call a taxi to come pick you up. Chicago and New York City are exceptions to that rule. But both cities have areas where it's easier to hail a cab and areas where it may be somewhat more difficult yet not impossible to hail a cab off the street. For Chicago, the easier areas are downtown, North Side, Near South, and Near West Sides. The harder areas in Chicago may be the West Side, and some parts of the South Side. In New York City, the easier area is Manhattan. The harder areas are the Bronx, Staten Island, and parts of Brooklyn and Queens. So if they both are comparable in that regard, my arguement is that when you read the Chicago article it gives the reader the impression that it's virtually impossible outside a small area, whereas the New York article doesn't give that impression, yet the same is true for both cities. That's what I'm saying.<br />
<br />
: I don't know why you persist in thinking the New York article is a model for this one, since that article is (generously) at 'usable' status, two levels ''below'' this one. (Also, nobody from Chicago gives a crap how New York does anything.) Nevertheless, I have 25 years of experience of not being able to hail a taxi off the street up by Howard Street or anywhere in the vicinity of it. So you're objectively wrong. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]]<br />
<br />
== Lede (again) ==<br />
<br />
I found the lede to this article to be misleading. Chicago is not the birthplace of jazz and the blues; those are from the South. Moreover, the local music scene isn't really the most important thing to the city's identity. My suggested rewrite was reverted; no particular objection to the content was specified. It is reproduced below. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 01:08, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
----<br />
:'''Chicago''' [http://choosechicago.com/] is the hub of the American [[Midwest (United States of America)|Midwest]], its identity partly formed as a gateway to the agricultural heartland of the country, and partly as a teeming metropolis of cultural expression and innovation. Economically, it has thrived as a central North American transportation nexus, whether in the age of ships, railroads, or airplanes.<br />
<br />
:The city is easy to find &amp;mdash; its picturesque [[Chicago skyline guide|skyline]] calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and [[Loop Art Tour|public art]], and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world. <br />
<br />
:Culturally, Chicago has become the adopted home of jazz and the blues, and a center of comedy and theater. It has shopping of an international caliber, while maintaining a local flair in architecture and food. The hustle and bustle of big city life have barely put a dent in real Midwestern friendliness.<br />
----<br />
<br />
What's a lede?--[[User:Burmesedays|Burmesedays]] 01:15, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:: Read back to the discussion above. Apparently the argument goes that &quot;home of&quot; does not equate to the &quot;birthplace of&quot;. Apparently ''the blues'', like a petulant teenager, has found its true home distant from its birth. --[[User:Inas|inas]] 01:26, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
: That's... pretty boring, overall. The current version is interesting to read, whereas &quot;teeming metropolis of cultural expression and innovation&quot; feels like a jumble of buzzwords saying nothing about Chicago in particular. — [[User:Dguillaime|D. Guillaime]] 01:33, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
:::[[:wikipedia:wikt:lede#English]] defines &quot;lede&quot;. It's a variant spelling of &quot;lead&quot; that is used only to refer to the opening section of a written work, like an encyclopedia article or a news article. And yes, I reverted Beland's contribution because it was '''dry and encyclopedic''' instead of '''lively travel writing'''. And because this is a star article, and reached star status with its current lede, I felt that any changes to the lede ought to be discussed here first, especially when they change the [[Wikitravel:Tone|Tone]] so much. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 08:57, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::::OK, here's another try, avoiding misleading claims (not the birthplace of jazz and the blues, meat packing is no longer a big industry) while trying to keep a livlier style. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 13:39, 19 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
As the hub of the [[Midwest (United States of America)|Midwest]], '''Chicago''' [http://choosechicago.com/] is easy to find &amp;mdash; its picturesque [[Chicago skyline guide|skyline]] calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and [[Loop Art Tour|public art]], and perhaps the finest downtown collection of historic and modern architecture in the world. Here, the age of railroads found its center and spawned a huge meatpacking industry; in more recent decades, airplanes have swooped in to connect the city to the world and carry its faith in social progress. <br />
<br />
Known for its blues, jazz, comedy, theater, shopping, and fine dining, the hustle and bustle of life in America's &quot;Second City&quot; (a title now contested with Los Angeles) have barely put a dent in its genuine Midwestern friendliness.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
:::::I'm a little confused regarding what exactly is &quot;misleding.&quot; The article neither claims Chicago is the birthplace of jazz or blues, nor that meat packing is currently a major industry. <br />
<br />
:::::Marc's version is one of the most dynamic intros we have on the site—it's about the last one I think would be worth much effort tinkering with, when there are so many lifeless &quot;X is in Y&quot; bits floating around. It's possible to quibble endlessly about originality in writing, especially in a collaborative wiki environment. But I think we should resist the urge to [[tone|eye]] &quot;the neck of any author who dares to speak above a whisper or write above a nursery rhyme,&quot; and instead focus on improving the vast quantities of legitimately poor writing on the site. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 14:01, 19 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Well, as a tourist visiting Chicago, I read that lede and I interpreted it as saying that Chicago was the birthplace of jazz and the blues. I had to do my own research before I was certain this was factually incorrect. I don't think this travel guide should sacrifice factual accuracy in the name of being &quot;dynamic&quot;. I tried to fix only that part of the intro, but that change was also reverted. It was requested that I discuss the issue here, so that's what I'm doing. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 14:30, 20 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::I just don't see what's misleading about calling it the Home of the Blues (and actually, it says nothing about it being the home, much less the birthplace of jazz). It's not a Wikitravel coinage—it's a ''well-known city slogan''. And regardless, if I say I'm going &quot;home,&quot; I mean to my house, not to a hospital in New York. Further down the article at [[Chicago#Jazz and blues]], the process by which the blues came to live in Chicago is explained.<br />
<br />
::And you're most certainly not doing anything wrong in discussing it here. I just disagree with you ;) --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 18:19, 20 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::Well, I was personally misled, because I thought the article was claiming that Chicago was the birthplace of the blues and jazz. I'm sure it reads differently to people who live in Chicago vs. those who don't know anything about it. If it's a well-known city slogan, the article should make that clear to people who have never heard it, as in &quot;Chicago calls itself 'The Home of the Blues'&quot;. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 15:12, 24 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
::::Sometimes clarity and poetry are mutually exclusive. The minor negative effects of a misunderstanding (one which, frankly, I don't expect a large number of people to have) are not worth disrupting the flow of the lede, IMO. Is it really a big deal if you were momentarily confused about the true birthplace of the blues? The rest of the article makes it clear that the blues migrated from the South along with several other cultural elements. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 18:47, 24 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
:::::I stopped reading before I got to the full explanation, and so walked away from the article with the wrong impression. Isn't the whole point of Wikitravel to give people accurate information about the places they visit? After having a discussion on the road, I concluded that this article was simply wrong, which undermines the site's credibility. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 19:52, 23 June 2010 (EDT)<br />
::::::Sorry, but that's your mistake, not the article's. Home ≠ birthplace. If it did, we'd all live in hospitals. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 20:04, 23 June 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Hyperbole in the lead ==<br />
<br />
The lead sounds like it was written by the Chicago Tourism Bureau. It is not the &quot;home of the blues,&quot; only electric or Chicago-style blues. I don't know what &quot;the truth of jazz&quot; means. New York has a stronger association with skyscrapers. It's midwestern friendliness is noted, so no need to insult other cities as surly in the next sentence. The first sentence should note that Chicago is the third biggest city in America and the capital of the midwest. The features of the city should be noted without sounding so cheesy. Hyperbole destroys an articles credibility. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:67.52.80.198|67.52.80.198]] ([[User_talk:67.52.80.198|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/67.52.80.198|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
:Yeah, and dry encyclopedic writing destroys an article's readability. I agree that &quot;the truth of jazz&quot; is a pretty meaningless phrase, but it sounds good and fits with what you'd find in any good travel article. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 13:30, 26 July 2010 (EDT)<br />
&quot;any good travel article&quot; doesn't need to exagerate to be colorful. Look at the articles for New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, or Berlin. They lead with the information a traveller would want, not meaningless praise. We can have a readable lead that people will like. There have been many changes, but the Chicago Tourism Bureau keeps changing it back.<br />
<br />
:FYI, a good half of the Chicago Tourism Bureau has moved to D.C., but does miss his 26th St style pizza at Connie's quite dearly. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:06, 15 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:: I just think it's a shame that the New York Tourism Bureau chooses to keep conducting itself like this. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:33, 15 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
You betray your bias. I was citing the other cities not to bring conflict, but to show that Chicago's lead is in no way typical. It is an off-putting, over-exciting lie. I'm sorry your &quot;book&quot; contains the hyperbole lead, but lets make this online article easier to read and use. We don't need Chicago-patriots screaming their cities praise. Travel is about putting prejudices aside. {{unsigned|67.52.80.198}}<br />
<br />
: There clearly isn't any [[Wikitravel:Consensus|consensus]] to tone down the lead, so I've reverted the latest changes until there is some agreement. While I'd tend to agree that the current lede does stray a bit into hyperbole, trimming it down to cold, boring facts is IMHO going too far in the opposite direction. [[Wikitravel:Tone]] encourages lively writing, so given the choice between the current version or a stark recitation of fact I'd prefer the status quo. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 17:35, 21 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:The other cities cited were at [[Wikitravel:Article status|guide status]], while this was the first huge city star article. Just for fun, lets quote the top of [[Wikitravel:Tone]] right here:<br />
<br />
:''Every dimwit editor who sees himself as the source of all dreary blanc-mange plain porridge unleavened literature, licks his guillotine and eyes the neck of any author who dares to speak above a whisper or write above a nursery rhyme. -Ray Bradbury''<br />
<br />
:--[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:42, 21 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:I agree. This whole article reads like a travel brochure. People don't go to wikitravel to be convinced to go to a place. They've already decided to go and want clear, no-nonsense information about everything city related. Great cities speak for themselves. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:207.229.139.182|207.229.139.182]] ([[User_talk:207.229.139.182|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/207.229.139.182|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
::Don't tell us what people come here for. I think everyone here would agree this may be the best article on the site. It is the article to which the rest of us aspire when writing our own articles. It has been turned into a book that has a perfect review score on Amazon and sells better than ''Frommer's Chicago'' and ''Chicago for Dummies''. We are writing travel guides both for people who want to know where to go and what to do, as well as people who already know where they're going and what they're doing. We cater to both markets; deal with it. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 11:49, 31 January 2011 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Willis / Sears Tower ==<br />
<br />
There have been numerous edits to the Chicago articles in the past year to change &quot;Sears Tower&quot; to &quot;Willis Tower&quot;, most of which have been reverted. At some point &quot;Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower)&quot; is going to be the most common name. If we aren't there yet, then &quot;Sears Tower (officially Willis Tower)&quot; might be a decent compromise that will stave off further well-meaning edits. I don't know Chicago well enough to know which is better, so can anyone provide some input so that those of us watching this article know what to do with edits to the tower's name? -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 10:52, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
:I think it is important to call it both &quot;Sears Tower&quot; for historical recognition and &quot;Willis Tower&quot; for the sake of being completely up-to-date (and for interesting trivia). I agree that &quot;Sears Tower (''officially Willis Tower'')&quot; accomplishes this perfectly. <br />
<br />
:The name appears many places throughout the Chicago pages though, most notably in [[Chicago#Architecture|Architecture]], [[Chicago_skyline_guide#Buildings|Buildings]], and [[Chicago/Loop#Visitor_centers|Skydeck]]. I would suggest noting the name change only in its first appearances on the Architecture and Buildings sections to avoid unnecessary confusion. By the time someone navigates to the Skydeck listing hopefully it will already be apparent to them. --[[User:Jtesla16|Jtesla16]] 11:48, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::I suppose that's a reasonable compromise; the edits I made earlier today were merely to enforce what I saw as the existing consensus, that the building is still called the Sears Tower. I don't claim to be an expert. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 15:37, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::There is an [[Chicago#By_taxi|infobox]] explaining the name change in the main article, but I think it would be fine to put the parenthetical after the first mention in the architecture section, for anyone who is confused, and missed the infobox. It's anecdotal, of course, but I was talking about the Sears Tower today (comparing it to the height of the ridiculously high Burj Khalifa) with people who neither familiar with Chicago nor terribly interested in skyscrapers or architecture, and it never even crossed my mind or theirs to refer to it as anything else. <br />
<br />
:::I don't think that the Willis name is catching on, nor do I think it will, as the Sears Tower, unlike, say, Chicago's Standard Oil Building, is an icon with worldwide name recognition. Similarly, if the Eiffel Tower was whored out under corporate naming rights as the GazProm Tower, people would keep on calling it the Eiffel Tower. The notable exception, of course, is Wikipedia, where I'd say they are violating their own policies, by asserting without much evidential basis that Willis will become the more widespread usage. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 16:40, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::: [http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago_skyline_guide&amp;curid=50986&amp;diff=1528022&amp;oldid=1489225 This edit to the Skyline guide], as well as one to the USA article, are actually what prompted the discussion, since I've seen such edits reverted and was curious whether we had an agreement on this. It sounds like the parenthetical is a decent compromise to ward off those trying to &quot;fix&quot; the name. As to &quot;Sears&quot; vs &quot;Willis&quot;, it sounds very similar to when San Francisco tried to claim that &quot;Candlestick Park&quot; was actually &quot;3Com Park&quot; or &quot;Monster.com Park&quot; - aside from the guys in the broadcast booth I can't recall ever hearing anyone utter the new names, and if they had the scorn directed in their direction would have been fast and heavy. It got to the point that in 2004 there was actually a ballot measure passed to prevent the city from trying to rename the park again. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 16:50, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::::I'm not sure what policies Wikipedia is violating by calling their article [[:wikipedia:Willis Tower]]. They have [[:wikipedia:WP:COMMONNAME]], of course, but it's my opinion that the plainest reading of it doesn't necessarily mean &quot;what do most people on the street call it&quot;, especially for things that do have official names. Most of the most reliable sources -- such as news articles and official sources -- will call it the Willis Tower, so that's a perfectly reasonable name for the article's title. (Our purposes, of course, are different; in our case, we definitely should prefer what most people call the building, so that travelers can better find it.) [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 17:03, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::::::I'd be happy to wager that most official sources and news articles still call it the Sears Tower. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:05, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::::::::I'm fine with 'Sears Tower (officially Willis Tower)' at the first mention. I spoke to a Chicago Architecture Foundation docent recently, and he said that they refer to it as the Sears Tower on their tours, but usually include a brief (and derisive) reference to Willis. As for Wikipedia, they had the name change in place the day the contract called for it, before any meaningful reading of [[:wikipedia:WP:COMMONNAME]] had been met. To be fair, though, it's obvious from their talk page that it was a small group of users who rammed it through, not the result of any consensus. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 18:38, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Bus table==<br />
<br />
I'm moving this here for discussion &amp;mdash; I'm not sure we should devote this much space to bus transit between Chicago and a scant two cities. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 18:20, 26 September 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
A summary of bus fares to [[Milwaukee]] and [[Minneapolis]] frequencies and services including the lowest internet fare, the walk-up ticket price and how often the buses run:<br />
{| border=0 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=2<br />
|-<br />
!<br />
! |Milwaukee lowest<br />
! |Milwaukee walkup<br />
! |Milwaukee frequency<br />
! |Minneapolis lowest<br />
! |Minneapolis walkup<br />
! |Minneapolis frequency<br />
! |wifi<br />
! |110v outlets<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''''Amtrak²'''''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $22<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $22<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 7x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $56<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $56-$74<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ffcc&quot; | 1x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Greyhound'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $6<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $16<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 8x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $27<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $65<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 5x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Ind. Trails'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | ?<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | ?<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ffcc&quot; | 1x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Megabus'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $1<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $20³<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;33ff99&quot; | 4x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $1<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $24³<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;33ff99&quot; | 3-4x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ffff66&quot; | Some<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Wisconsin'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $26<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $26<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 14x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
''²Train. AAA, ISIC, SA, Senior (walk-up) discounts: Milwaukee $18, Minneapolis from $47.''<br />
''³Tickets must be purchased via internet or telephone($3 fee).''<br />
<br />
== Coyotes downtown? ==<br />
<br />
Not sure whether or where this might fit it in the article. Seemed worth posting, though:<br />
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/11/16/let-loose-the-coyotes-chicago-embraces-rat-hunting-predators/<br />
[[User:Pashley|Pashley]] 05:37, 25 November 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Heh, that article mentions &quot;nuisance problems, like mice, rats, and rabbits.&quot; Chicago does have an unusually large number of weird nocturnal urban bunnies, but I never thought of them as a nuisance. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 11:27, 25 November 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Lead needs more color ==<br />
<br />
The lead was so boring before. Everyone knows that blues and jazz are centered in Chicago, that people are super-friendly there unlike every other city that size, and that there is days weeks and months of stuff to see in Chicago.<br />
<br />
But there might be some foreigners reading this and we need to convince them to come to Chicago! We should add more color to the lead. I added some real colorful stuff. It's not all true, mind you, but color is more important than truth. Chicago!<br />
<br />
:&quot;Color&quot; is not more important than truth, and your edits were nothing but vandalism. Besides, if someone were to visit based on their love of &quot;pubic art&quot; and the &quot;ambiguous sexuality&quot; of Midwesterners and Subway Restaurant employees, they would likely be highly disappointed and they'd go home and tell their countrymen that Chicago is overrated and not worth the visit. [[User:ChubbyWimbus|ChubbyWimbus]] 04:24, 28 February 2011 (EST)<br />
<br />
I agree that truth is more important than color. But legitimate concerns about the lead's bombastic claims were repeatedly brought up and shouted down by people who said &quot;we need color, your edits are boring.&quot; Some of the people round here think its dull writing if it doesn't have a bunch of meaningless color that isnt based on reality.<br />
<br />
Satire, not vandalism.<br />
<br />
We need to calm down the lead and bring it in line with the helpful, informativie, and interesting nature of the rest of this site. Not a &quot;Chicago is awesome&quot; banner. {{unsigned|132.160.54.207‎}}<br />
<br />
: As the article's history and this talk page shows, this anonymous user is trolling; please revert any further contributions. While there are legitimate points to be made about the article being too promotional, feeding the trolls is counter-productive. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 15:28, 28 February 2011 (EST)<br />
<br />
Can we have a discussion about making the lead appealing and informative without being so grabby? With consensus, huh? &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.155|132.160.54.155]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.155|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.155|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
:Sure. First, what do you mean by &quot;grabby&quot;? [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 09:49, 13 March 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I think the lead is laying on the gravy a bit heavy. Let's have some biscuits. <br />
<br />
The first paragraph could be shorter. The last two sentences could be one. &quot;World-class luxury mingles with real Midwestern friendliness in a city that likes to swagger.&quot; How about that?<br />
<br />
We can replace the whole first paragraph with...<br />
<br />
&quot;Ready to laugh, cry, sing the blues and swagger through the third-biggest city in America? Chicago has been there for trains, planes, hog-butcherin', and skyscrapers. World-class luxury mingles with real Midwestern friendliness. Because around here, everything is done &quot;Chicago style!&quot;<br />
<br />
Or no? I wanna work with you guys. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.43.101|132.160.43.101]] ([[User_talk:132.160.43.101|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.43.101|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:It would help if you registered for an account; your IP address changes a lot and that makes it hard to contact you. Anyway, it's difficult to talk about changes to the lead without identifying what you feel is wrong with it. Is it just that it's too long? I don't think it is; we don't need to ramble, but the lead should be substantial enough to give the reader a good idea of what they'll find in the rest of the article. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 21:25, 13 March 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Ok, I'll think about this account thing. Bear in mind that I did &quot;hyperbole in the lead&quot; and this and that's it.<br />
<br />
You are right that the lead should be &quot;substantial enough to give the reader a good idea of what they'll find in the rest of the article.&quot; The rest of the article is very good, great even. Concise, complete, and with some helpful swagger in the writing too.<br />
<br />
The lead isn't concise. It is coming from too many places at once, like an Illinois twister. <br />
<br />
&quot;Chicago is where blues went eletric and jazz found its swing. Comedy and cuisine adapted and were adopted again by the rest of America from this skyscraper metropolise. Hogbutchering and moonshining are gone, but the Second City hasn't lost its downhome charm.&quot;<br />
<br />
That mentions blues, jazz, comedy, food (bbq, pizza, etc), skycrapers, The Jungle and gangsters, Second City, along with its downhome charm (I wanted to say swagger, but didn't).<br />
<br />
It cuts out some of the lesser-known references from the first paragraph, but will leave it stronger. Plus the &quot;downhome&quot; segways into the second paragraph. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.160|132.160.54.160]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.160|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.160|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:Well if you don't get an account, at least sign your posts. =)<br />
:I'm starting to see what you mean, but I think we might be able to tighten up the focus without actually shortening the lead. I think it's really the perfect length on a page this size; three good-sized paragraphs provides a nice introduction. If there's any place to err on the side of verbosity, it's in the lead, which is supposed to grab a reader's attention. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 19:59, 14 March 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I agree about grabbing a readers attention. I think we can be more informative without loosing flavor. I like my line &quot;Chicago is where blues went electric and jazz found its swing.&quot; We can play up the &quot;Second City&quot; theme, in that Chicago puts its own style on Americana. <br />
<br />
Before I went at the lead with my own take, someone was graffiting the lead consistantly and with some stuff that was pretty obscene. There are other examples. I think people are graffiting because they are bothered by the unabashed lead. [[User:132.160.54.162|132.160.54.162]]<br />
<br />
:Well, I have to be honest that it's hard to defend words I didn't myself write, and it seems the main authors of this article are busy elsewhere. My feeling, more or less, is that while encyclopedias might be able to be written by committee, when it comes to lively, creative writing such as this, it's going to have to come down to one person just taking it and running with it. So I'm reluctant to try to assemble something &quot;better&quot; rather than leaving the distinctive voice that is already present. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 20:46, 24 March 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Articles don't have &quot;main authors.&quot; Bullys protecting their handiwork is not the point of a wiki.<br />
<br />
Wikitravel says color and information must coexist.<br />
<br />
So, I don't see any ojections around here to me changing the lead, except from the guys trying to sell books on EBAY. {{unsigned|132.160.54.156}}<br />
<br />
::Ah, so the facade of reasonableness drops. Yes, articles do indeed have main authors - or &quot;primary contributors&quot; if you will. A simple look at the page history will make it abundantly clear who has done the majority of work on this article. Also, as you will note, I am not trying to sell anything on &quot;EBAY&quot; [sic]. My concern is that the lively writing authored by the primary contributors to this article will be watered down because an anonymous IP address somewhere in Internet-land thinks it's too promotional. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 08:30, 1 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I'm not the only reader who thinks its too promotional. Thats why it is susceptable to graffiti.<br />
<br />
I am being reasonable, asking for a reasonable intro, not a meaningless one. &quot;It can't change, its so colorful&quot; is not reasonable. Sure, there are some people contributing more than others, but that doesn't make their opinions more important. As an IP address, my contributions are not less valid than someone who spends alot of time on their user page.<br />
<br />
Go to the EBAY (I'll spell it as I like) page and you will see a bunch of ridiculous reviews made by meat puppets. The primary conts are selling a book. If that is the purpose of this site, I'll back off, but I thought its to give quality info to travellers.<br />
<br />
So, its &quot;watered down&quot; if it has more info?<br />
<br />
I don't know why Chicago residents are so defensive about their city. I think it has to do with an inferiority complex next to LA and NYC. Chicago can stand along side any city in the world with its own merit, it doesn't need invented praise.<br />
<br />
Nobody except the Chicago gang has commented in support of the lead. I'm going to make some minor changes and we can go from there.<br />
<br />
&lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.163|132.160.54.163]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.163|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.163|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:You really aren't being reasonable. You've unilaterally declared that this article is too promotional, rather than listening to opposing opinions. You prattle on about &quot;EBAY&quot; -- I'm not even sure what you mean by that: reviews for what? -- and I am not a member of the &quot;Chicago gang&quot;, whatever that means. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 13:11, 3 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Sorry, not ebay, Amazon, my mistake. Look at the reviews, they are written in the same style as the old lead. &quot;Wow, buy this book, it heals Leprosy!&quot;<br />
<br />
Other people bring up the lead and it was always shouted down. If changes were suggested they were labelled bland. My edit isn't bland, its colorful and truthful. It tells people interesting stuff about Chicago.<br />
<br />
Did you notice that the lead used to link to Choosechicago.com? I got rid of that. I said it before and I'll say it again, the old lead was written by someone with a vested interest in increasing tourist numbers to Chicago.<br />
<br />
I like being flippant and childish on talk pages. I think its fun. But the article exists for the reader. Lets give them good info without being a dusty old tome. <br />
<br />
You and me, like the Blues Brothers. We're on a mission from God.<br />
<br />
:We ''always'' link official tourism sites. Why would you remove it? [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 09:23, 4 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::After doing some research, I've reverted the entire change, as it contained a number of inaccuracies: in particular, jazz didn't &quot;find its swing&quot; in Chicago at all. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 12:43, 4 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Chicago jazz distinguishes itself from other styles in a variety of ways, and Chicago-style means Swing Jazz. That is not a factual statement, it is a blend of color and information.<br />
<br />
Are you saying that it is verifiable that the &quot;truth of jazz&quot; is in Chicago? That is like saying the best jazz is in Chicago. We can say &quot;alot of the best jazz is in Chicago&quot; but your revert is not more true. Which do you prefer, color or truth? &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.162|132.160.54.162]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.162|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.162|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:Don't try to change the subject. The basic point to remember here is that the version you changed had widespread support, and was viewed by many eyes while this article was being reviewed for Star status. That means you better have some really good reasons for changing it, and so far &quot;I don't like it&quot; is about all you've come up with. Try to garner some consensus for your problems with the lead before making any further changes. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 12:07, 6 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Widespread support? There is consensus for change. It has been brought up numerous times for improvement and always shouted down by a few individuals. Just like you are doing now.<br />
<br />
The widespread defacement of this page can be viewed as adding to the consensus for change.<br />
<br />
This article deserves a gold star for its completeness. Many people overlooked the bombastic lead for that reason, I think.<br />
<br />
At least part of the lead needs to be changed to make this article easier to use, more informative, and less whimsical.<br />
<br />
You've still failed to help improve the lead, only champion it as perfect. I'm not the one saying &quot;I don't like it.&quot; I have specific beefs. You have general praise.<br />
<br />
So are you gonna get on the trolley of progress?<br />
<br />
&lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.159|132.160.54.159]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.159|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.159|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:It's not perfect. Your changes made it significantly worse. There's no &quot;consensus for change&quot; here; what we have are a bunch of IP addresses who've made few if any edits to our travel guides, and whom (for all we know) could be one person having a laugh. Frankly, we put a lot more stock in the opinions of long-time editors who have a proven knack for writing travel guides rather than visitors who complain rather needlessly about &quot;boosterism&quot;. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 21:36, 7 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
It was made &quot;significantly worse&quot;? So it started out bad. Agreed. I'm changing it back. Can we let it hang a few days, see if we get some criticism? {{unsigned|132.160.54.158}}<br />
<br />
: To the anon - please either create an account or at least sign your posts with four tildes (&lt;nowiki&gt;~~~~&lt;/nowiki&gt;) so that these discussions are easier to follow. Regarding the [http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago&amp;curid=1561&amp;diff=1660379&amp;oldid=1660052&amp;rcid=1656362 latest revert], I've been following this conversation and don't have strong feelings about either edit version, but if we're going to use the new version then please stop removing the official Chicago link (see [[Wikitravel:External links]]). -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 14:57, 12 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
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::Jazz didn't &quot;find its swing&quot; in Chicago; &quot;downhome&quot; is a word no self-respecting Chicagoan would use; these and the gratuitous &quot;Chicago!&quot; at the end of the paragraph all mark the revision as entirely non-serious and completely unacceptable. I'd be interested to see a serious defense of this revision that didn't start with &quot;no one else has objected to it&quot;. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 19:01, 12 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::The Chicago style of Jazz is often called Swing Jazz. It is a more upbeat, dancable big band sound. I think the first line of the new edit is its best strength, especially since the old &quot;home of blues and truth of jazz&quot; was poorly worded.<br />
<br />
:::If you object to the word &quot;downhome,&quot; please change it. Maybe Chicagoans don't say it much, but it is a Midwest term. We are trying to say that Chicago is a big city but still has small town friendliness.<br />
<br />
:::I removed the &quot;Chicago!&quot;. Ok, maybe that was a bit of a joke. But it would have been appropriate in the old lead.<br />
<br />
:::If you want the link back in, go for it.<br />
<br />
:::I just don't want a &quot;COME TO CHICAGO!&quot; lead. Something more like &quot;Chicago is a great destiniation, here is why&quot; would be more palatable.<br />
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:::Tildy tildy tildy [[User:132.160.54.147|132.160.54.147]] 14:40, 14 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
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::::I always thought of swing jazz as more of a New York thing (even Benny Goodman left Chicago), but I'm no expert, and regardless I'd prefer that phrasing over the moderately incomprehensible &quot;truth of jazz&quot;. I'm hoping at least a few other current or former Chicagoans will weigh in, but thank you all for moving back from edit warring to calm(-ish) discussion. – [[User:Dguillaime|D. Guillaime]] 20:53, 15 April 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
===Cont.===<br />
<br />
I guess the change being proposed here is from:<br />
<br />
''Chicago is the home of the blues and the truth of jazz, the heart of comedy and the idea of the skyscraper. Here, the age of railroads found its center, and airplanes followed suit. Butcher of hogs and believer in progress, it is one of the world's great cities, and yet the metropolitan luxuries of theater, shopping, and fine dining have barely put a dent in real Midwestern friendliness. It's a city with a swagger, but without the surliness or even the fake smiles found in other cities of its size.''<br />
<br />
to:<br />
<br />
''Chicago is where blues went electric and jazz found its swing. Comedy and cuisine adapted and were adopted again by the rest of America from this skyscraper metropolis. Hogbutchering and moonshining are gone, but the Second City hasn't lost its downhome charm.''<br />
<br />
While I do genuinely appreciate that someone is taking the challenge to heart and trying to write something original (rather than simply neutering existing writing), to me this would seem a clear degradation in style. The only part that works well is the first sentence—which I like. The second sentence is a weak watery construction, serving only to mention the items that would otherwise be forgotten from the existing version (comedy &amp; skyscrapers). The third one is quite cute, and I like it, but &quot;downhome&quot; is a jarring term for Chicago—it's a little too southern; a little too country.<br />
<br />
Now on the other hand, the original intro has a lot going for it. The introductory sentence has a neat structure of parallel metaphors touching on Chicago's biggest contributions to the world of American aesthetics/culture—it's a punchy way to lead off the article, and one which serves as a hook, to get the reader to figure out why the city is these things. The next puts the city at the center of the nation's transit infrastructure, which aside from finance is probably the city's most prominent economic role in the country. I'm a ''big'' fan of the third sentence, with another punchy line (&quot;butcher of hogs and believer in progress&quot;—c'mon, this is great stuff), followed with what I think is one of the main reasons visitors to the United States really should make a point of visiting—the city has all you could want in terms of urbanity and culture, but still represents the country well in terms of casual American hospitality. <br />
<br />
The fourth sentence is IMO a little wanting, as the second clause is kind of an awkward veiled dig at the two cities in the country larger than Chicago, but it still serves as a good concluding line to the lede. I initially suggested that it might work better as an overt shot: &quot;without the surliness of a New York or the fake smiles of L.A.&quot; But maybe an even more abstract version would be better? Again, the point being made is worth emphasizing, because I think it's a main selling point of the city.<br />
<br />
Lest I be accused of some sort of bias..., I did not actually write the existing version. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 13:45, 7 June 2011 (EDT)<br />
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::My main concerns with the revised lead are the discounting of New York's contribution to swing and the general limp fit-everything-into-as-few-sentences-as-possible writing. And I agree &quot;downhome&quot; doesn't sound right.<br />
<br />
::For the last sentence of the current lead, the semi-alliteration between &quot;swagger&quot; and &quot;surliness&quot; could be emphasized to provide a more generic but more poetic contrast.<br />
<br />
::-- [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 16:02, 7 June 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::I've thought about this too much, methinks, but how about ''&quot;It's a big city with a big swagger, but with an uncommon shortfall of surliness or pretense.&quot;'' --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:47, 18 June 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I wrote the &quot;blues went electric&quot; revision. I read your criticisms and tried to give it another go. This one incorporates more from the old version, which I'm starting to appreciate more. But, I took off some phrases that I thought were still over the top (days, weeks and months) and tried to introduce some other flavor.<br />
<br />
I put two movie references in, but I think they are appropriate. Ferris and the Brothers both have Chicago as a character in the movie and give people who've never visited there a picture to put in their heads. The last sentence of the second paragraph is new, but touches on the friendliness of people while bringing up comedy and nightlife in Chicago as well as the many sports teams.<br />
<br />
<br />
Anyway, just trying to find a good tone in the lead for this increasingly excellent article. [[User:132.160.43.101|132.160.43.101]] 03:23, 13 June 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:The new lead is improved over previous attempts at revision, but it just doesn't flow like the old one does. (And when did Ferris Bueller ever try to ''tame'' Chicago's swagger? If anything, he added to it.) [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 21:27, 17 June 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I disagree that the old one &quot;flows&quot;. Revision is going back up to generate comments from 3rd parties. [[User:132.160.43.101|132.160.43.101]] 18:36, 3 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:We've had several third parties comment, and you're the only one who likes it. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 21:30, 3 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:This is the place to solicit comments, not the article itself. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 20:24, 6 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
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There have been numerous 3rd party comments supporting changes and revisions. If we leave the old one up, we will only get continued vandalism (which is an arguement for change).<br />
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Revision needs to be up so that people can comment on the talk page.<br />
[[User:132.160.54.151|132.160.54.151]] 19:16, 7 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:What numerous 3rd-party comments. I only see you, and vandals, and I'm still not convinced there's a difference there. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 10:18, 8 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
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I'm trying to make a good intro here. You are trying to stop any progress. On this discussion board the lead has been brought up many times. Once by me, other times by others.<br />
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Vandalism is an arguement for change.<br />
<br />
The hyperbole lead is too much. It needs change. [[User:132.160.43.101|132.160.43.101]] 15:34, 10 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
: While I'm inclined to agree that the intro is too flowery, the current approach of continually re-adding your preferred version with snarky edit comments is one that isn't helping your credibility. I suggest you might have more luck concentrating your efforts elsewhere, and eventually someone who both cares about improving the text and also is more careful not to alienate other contributors will come along to enact the change you profess to want. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 19:05, 10 July 2011 (EDT)<br />
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Credibility?</div>132.160.54.160http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago&diff=1713406Chicago2011-07-12T22:39:09Z<p>132.160.54.160: SANITY!!!</p>
<hr />
<div>{{printDistricts}}<br />
[[Image:Skyline from Millenium Park.jpg|thumb|350px|print=lead|Chicago's skyline viewed from Millennium Park]]<br />
<br />
'''Chicago''' [http://choosechicago.com/] is where blues went electric and jazz found its swing. As the hub of the [[Midwest (United States of America)|Midwest]], Chicago is close to everything and far from ordinary. Butcher of hogs and believer in progress, it is one of the world's great cities, and yet the metropolitan luxuries of theater, shopping, and fine dining have barely put a dent in real Midwestern friendliness. It's a city with a swagger that not even Ferris Bueller could tame. If anything, he added to the swagger. Danke Schoen! <br />
<br />
The [[Chicago skyline guide|Chicago skyline]] calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and [[Loop Art Tour|public art]], and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world. Locals love to share their opinion of where to find the funniest new comedian, coldest brew, or best seats for the game. In fact, Chicago locals are well known for their pride.<br />
<br />
With a wealth of iconic sights and neighborhoods to explore, you can blow through 'burbs like the Blues Brothers without ever seeing the end of sweet lady Chicago. Dress warm in the winter, and prepare to cover a lot of ground: the meaning of Chicago is only found in movement, so hop on the L and ride! <br />
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<br />
&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;<br />
&lt;!--PRINT<br />
[[Image:Chicago districts map print.png|print=inline]]<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
==Districts==<br />
<br />
Many visitors never make it past the attractions downtown, but you haven't truly seen Chicago until you have ventured out into the neighborhoods. Chicagoans understand their city by splitting it into large &quot;sides&quot; to the north, west, and south of the central business district (the Loop). Chicagoans also tend to identify strongly with their neighborhood, reflecting real differences in culture and place throughout the city. Rivalries between the North and South Sides run particularly deep, while people from the West Side are free agents in critical issues like baseball loyalty.<br />
<br />
{{Regionlist|<br />
<br />
regionmap=Integrated Chicago districts map.png |<br />
regionmaptext=Districts of Chicago |<br />
regionmapsize=401px |<br />
<br />
region1name=Downtown |<br />
region1color=#b569b5 |<br />
region1items=[[Chicago/Loop|The Loop]], [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] |<br />
region1description=''The'' center of Chicago for work and play, with shopping, skyscrapers, big theaters, and the city's most famous travel sights |<br />
<br />
region2name=North Side |<br />
region2color=#a4a460 |<br />
region2items=[[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Boystown]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]] |<br />
region2description=Upscale neighborhoods with entertainment aplenty in storefront theaters and the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, along with a ''ton'' of bars and clubs, and one of the largest LGBT communities in the nation |<br />
<br />
region3name=South Side |<br />
region3color=#459745 |<br />
region3items=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport-Chinatown]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]] |<br />
region3description= The historic Black Metropolis, brainy Hyde Park and the University of Chicago, Chinatown, the White Sox, soul food, and the real Chicago blues |<br />
<br />
region4name=West Side |<br />
region4color=#67b7b7 |<br />
region4items=[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan Square]], [[Chicago/Near West Side|Greektown]], [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] |<br />
region4description=Ethnic enclaves, dive bars, and hipsters abound on the fashionably rough side of town |<br />
<br />
region5name=Far North Side |<br />
region5color=#487db8 |<br />
region5items=[[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]], [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]], [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] |<br />
region5description=Ultra-hip and laid-back, with miles of beaches and some of the most vibrant immigrant communities in the country |<br />
<br />
region6name=Far West Side |<br />
region6color=#a5c077 |<br />
region6items=[[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Garfield Park]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Austin]] |<br />
region6description=So far off the beaten tourist track you might not find your way back, but that's OK given all the great food, a couple of top blues clubs, and enormous parks. |<br />
<br />
region7name=Southwest Side |<br />
region7color=#c9815e |<br />
region7items=[[Chicago/Southwest Side|Back of the Yards]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Marquette Park]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Midway]] |<br />
region7description=Former home to the massive meatpacking district of the Union Stockyards, huge Polish and Mexican neighborhoods, and Midway Airport |<br />
<br />
region8name=Far Northwest Side |<br />
region8color=#a76767 |<br />
region8items=[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Avondale]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Irving Park]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Portage Park]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Jefferson Park]] |<br />
region8description=Polish Village, historic homes and theaters, and some undiscovered gems in the neighborhoods near [[O'Hare International Airport]] |<br />
<br />
region9name=Far Southeast Side |<br />
region9color=#8888dc |<br />
region9items=[[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Historic Pullman]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|East Side]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|South Chicago]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Hegewisch]] |<br />
region9description=The giant, industrial underbelly of Chicago, home to one large tourist draw: the historic Pullman District |<br />
<br />
region10name=Far Southwest Side |<br />
region10color=#37a782 |<br />
region10items=[[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Beverly]], [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Mount Greenwood]] |<br />
region10description=Ireland in Chicago: authentic Irish pubs, brogues, galleries, and the odd haunted castle, all extremely far from the city center |<br />
<br />
}}<br />
<br />
&lt;!--PRINT<br />
===Downtown===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Loop|The Loop]]''' — the historic and business center of Chicago, the financial center of the Midwest, and the home of magnificent architecture, parks, and public art<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]''' — a ritzy shopping district, home to the Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, and the Gold Coast, and many hotels<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]''' — a few big draws, including Printer's Row, the Museum Campus, McCormick Place, and Soldier Field<br />
===North Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park-Old Town]]''' — a wealthy neighborhood with museums, mansions, upscale boutiques, the Lincoln Park Zoo, and some of the city's top dining and theaters<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview-North Center]]''' — entertainment aplenty with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, storefront theaters, and '''Boystown''', the center of Chicago's Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender culture<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]''' — a neighborhood with more than its fair share of Chicago history, Southeast Asian dining, Swedish and lesbian-friendly Andersonville, and a thriving entertainment district of edgy comedy and historic rock and jazz clubs<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/North Lincoln|North Lincoln]]''' — fun shopping at Lincoln Square, great Middle Eastern food on Kedzie and Korean food along Seoul Drive<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]''' — thriving multi-ethnic communities, miles of laid-back beaches, Loyola University, and the totally Indian Devon Avenue<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]]''' — Polish Village, historic homes and theaters, and some undiscovered gems in the neighborhoods near [[O'Hare International Airport]]<br />
===South Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]]''' — the University of Chicago's Gothic campus, brainy Hyde Park, old mansions aplenty, and great museums<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]''' — the historic &quot;Black Metropolis&quot; is a mecca of African-American History, historic site of the Chicago Black Renaissance, and home to the nation's first museum of African-American History in the enormous Washington Park<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport-Chinatown]]''' — home to Chicago's thriving Chinatown, the White Sox, and the city's South Side Irish power brokers<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]]''' — one of the country's true centers of African-American culture, with great soul food, the best BBQ in the North, and unparalleled blues clubs on offer<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]''' — Former home to the massive meatpacking district of the Union Stockyards, huge Polish and Mexican neighborhoods, and Midway Airport<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]''' — a vast and weird section of the city home to most of the city's heavy industry and the historic planned Pullman community of labor history fame<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Far Southwest Side]]''' — Ireland in Chicago: authentic Irish pubs, brogues, galleries, and the odd haunted castle, all extremely far from the city center<br />
===West Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]''' — lots of attractions in one area: dining at Little Italy and Greektown, clubs and galleries in the West Loop, the Chicago Bulls, and what remains of Maxwell Street<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]]''' — Chicago's hippest bar and restaurant scene plus eccentric shopping right next to Ukrainian Village, a neighborhood of hipsters and the Orthodox<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan-Bucktown]]''' — a neighborhood riding on a wave of gentrification spillover from Wicker Park with some great dive bars and wide-ranging Latin-American dining<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]]''' — incredible Mexican food everywhere you look, Czech architecture, two thriving arts districts, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and a Little Italy not overrun by visitors<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far West Side|Far West Side]]''' — so far off the beaten tourist track you might not find your way back, but that's OK given all the great food, a couple of top blues clubs, enormous parks, and the botanical gardens of the Garfield Park Conservatory<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
<br />
==Understand==<br />
Chicago was known as a fine place to find a '''wild onion''' if you were a member of the Potawatomi tribe, who lived in this area of [[Illinois]] before European settlers arrived. It was mostly swamps, prairie and mud long past the establishment of Fort Dearborn in 1803 and incorporation as a town in 1833. It could be argued that nature never intended for there to be a city here; brutal winters aside, it took civil engineering projects of unprecedented scale to establish working sewers, reverse the flow of the river to keep it out of the city's drinking supply, and stop buildings from sinking back into the swamps — and that was just the first few decades.<br />
<br />
By 1871, the reckless growth of the city was a sight to behold, full of noise, Gothic lunacy, and bustling commerce. But on October 8th, Mrs. O'Leary's cow reportedly knocked over a lantern in the crowded immigrant quarters in the West Side, and the '''Great Chicago Fire''' began. It quickly spread through the dry prairie, killing 300 and destroying virtually the entire city. The stone Water Tower in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] is the most famous surviving structure. But the city seized this destruction as an opportunity to rebuild bigger than before, giving canvas for several architects and urban planners who would go on to become legends of modern architecture.<br />
<br />
At the pinnacle of its rebirth and the height of its newfound powers, Chicago was known as '''The White City'''. Cultures from around the world were summoned to the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition, to bear witness to the work of Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, and the future itself. Cream of Wheat, soft drinks, street lights and safe electricity, the fax machine, and the Ferris Wheel bespoke the colossus now resident on the shores of Lake Michigan. <br />
<br />
As every road had once led to Rome, every train led to Chicago. Carl Sandburg called Chicago the '''Hog Butcher for the World''' for its cattle stockyards and place on the nation's dinner plate. Sandburg also called it the '''City of the Big Shoulders''', noting the tall buildings in the birthplace of the skyscraper — and the city's &quot;lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.&quot; But Chicago is a city in no short supply of nicknames. Fred Fisher's 1922 song (best known in Frank Sinatra's rendition) calls it '''That Toddlin' Town''', where &quot;on State Street, that great street, they do things they don't do on Broadway.&quot; It's also referenced by countless blues standards like '''Sweet Home Chicago'''.<br />
<br />
Chicago is also known as '''The Second City''', which refers to its rebuilding after the fire — the current city is literally the second Chicago, after the one that disappeared in 1871. The moniker has stuck, in no small part due to its popular association with the city's long-held former position as the United States' second largest city. And many know the nickname from Chicago's great comedy theater in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]].<br />
<br />
Chicago's history with corruption is legendary. During the Prohibition era, Chicago's criminal world, emblemized by names like Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, and later Sam Giancana, practically ran the city. The local political world had scarcely more legitimacy in a town where voter turnout was highest among the dead and their pets, and precinct captains spread the word to &quot;vote early, vote often.&quot; Even Sandburg acknowledged the relentless current of vice than ran under the surface of the optimistic city.<br />
<br />
Today, Chicago is known as '''The Windy City'''. Walking around town, you might suspect that Chicago got this nickname from the winds off Lake Michigan, which shove through the downtown corridors with intense force. But the true origin of the saying comes from politics. Some say it may have been coined by rivals like [[Cincinnati]] and [[New York City|New York]] as a derogatory reference to the Chicagoan habit of rabid boosterism and endless political conventions. Others say that the term originated from the fact that Chicago politicians change their minds &quot;as often as the wind.&quot; <br />
<br />
Finally, the city is known as the '''The City That Works''', as promoted by longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley, which refers to Chicago's labor tradition, the long hours worked by its residents, and its willingness to tackle grand civic projects. Daley and his father, former Mayor Richard J. Daley, ruled the city for decades in what can only be described as a benevolent dictatorship; as other Midwestern manufacturing cities like [[Cleveland]] and [[Detroit]] went into decline, Chicago thrived, transforming from a city of stockyards and factories to a financial giant at the forefront of modern urban design. But with Richard M. retiring in 2011, Chicagoans face the rare prospect of a Daley-less city government, and will have to decide all over again if democracy can work in this town.<br />
<br />
While the city has many great attractions downtown, most Chicagoans live and play outside of the central business district. To understand Chicago, travelers must venture away from the Loop and Michigan Avenue and out into the vibrant neighborhoods, to soak up the local nightlife, sample the wide range of fantastic dining, and see the sights Chicagoans care about most — thanks to the city's massive public transit system, every part of Chicago is only slightly off the most beaten path.<br />
<br />
<br />
===Climate===<br />
{{Climate<br />
| units = Imperial<br />
| janhigh = 29<br />
| febhigh = 34<br />
| marhigh = 45<br />
| aprhigh = 58<br />
| mayhigh = 70<br />
| junhigh = 80<br />
| julhigh = 84<br />
| aughigh = 82<br />
| sephigh = 75<br />
| octhigh = 63<br />
| novhigh = 48<br />
| dechigh = 35<br />
| janlow = 13<br />
| feblow = 18<br />
| marlow = 28<br />
| aprlow = 39<br />
| maylow = 48<br />
| junlow = 57<br />
| jullow = 63<br />
| auglow = 62<br />
| seplow = 54<br />
| octlow = 42<br />
| novlow = 31<br />
| declow = 20<br />
| janprecip = 1.7<br />
| febprecip = 1.4<br />
| marprecip = 2.7<br />
| aprprecip = 3.6<br />
| mayprecip = 3.2<br />
| junprecip = 3.8<br />
| julprecip = 3.6<br />
| augprecip = 4.1<br />
| sepprecip = 3.5<br />
| octprecip = 2.6<br />
| novprecip = 2.9<br />
| decprecip = 2.2<br />
| description = {{ForecastNOAA|Chicago|41.878644|-87.6358859}}<br />
}}<br />
[[Image:Coldchicago.jpg|300px|thumb|Insider tip: it has been known to snow in Chicago]]<br />
Weather is definitely not one of the attractions in Chicago. There's a good time to be had in any season, but it is a place where the climate has to be taken into consideration.<br />
<br />
Little known fact is despite Chicago's winters, there are more days with a maximum temperature of between 80-84F than any other five-degree range. Obscured by Chicago's ferocious winters are the heat waves of summer. The days in July and August that go above the &quot;normal&quot; are often times disgustingly hot and humid, dewpoints can be similar to those found closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Summer nights are usually reasonable, though, and you'll get a few degrees' respite along the lakefront — in the local parlance, that's &quot;cooler by the lake.&quot; <br />
<br />
But then there are those winters. The months from December to March will see very cold temperatures, with even more bitter wind chill factors. Snow is usually limited to a handful of heavy storms per season, with a few light dustings in-between. (And a little more along the lakefront — again in the local parlance, that's &quot;lake effect snow&quot;.) Ice storms are also a risk. It's a city that's well-accustomed to these winters, though, so city services and public transportation are highly unlikely to shut down.<br />
<br />
That said, Chicago does have a few nice months of weather. May and September are pleasant and mild; April and June are mostly fine, although thunderstorms with heavy winds can also occur suddenly. Although there may be a slight chill in the air in October, it rarely calls for more than a light coat and some days that's not even necessary. In some years, the warmth stored by the lake may prolong a pleasant autumn into November.<br />
<br />
===Literature===<br />
Chicago literature found its roots in the city's tradition of lucid, direct journalism, lending to a strong tradition of social realism. Consequently, most notable Chicago fiction focuses on the city itself, with social criticism keeping exultation in check. Here is a selection of Chicago's most famous works about itself:<br />
<br />
*Karen Abbott's ''Sin in the Second City'' is a recent best-seller about Chicago's vice district, the Levee, and some of the personalities involved: gangsters, corrupt politicians, and two sisters who ran the most elite brothel in town.<br />
*Nelson Algren's ''Chicago: City on the Make'' is a prose poem about the alleys, the El tracks, the neon and the dive bars, the beauty and cruelty of Chicago. It's best saved for ''after'' a trip, when at least twenty lines will have you enraptured in recognition.<br />
*Saul Bellow's ''Adventures of Augie March'' charts the long drifting life of a Jewish Chicagoan and his myriad eccentric acquaintances throughout the early 20th century: growing up in the then Polish neighborhood of [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]], cavorting with heiresses on the [[Chicago/Near North|Gold Coast]], studying at the University of Chicago, fleeing union thugs in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and taking the odd detour to hang out with Trotsky in [[Mexico]] while eagle-hunting giant iguanas on horseback. This book has legitimate claim to be ''the'' Chicago epic (for practical purposes, that means you won't finish it on the plane).<br />
*Gwendolyn Brooks' ''A Street in Bronzeville'' was the collection of poems that launched the career of the famous Chicago poetess, focused on the aspirations, disappointments, and daily life of those who lived in 1940s [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]. It is long out of print, so you'll likely need to read these poems in a broader collection, such as her ''Selected Poems''.<br />
*Sandra Cisneros' ''The House on Mango Street'' is a Mexican-American coming-of-age novel, dealing with a young Latina girl, Esperanza Cordero, growing up in the Chicago Chicano ghetto.<br />
*Theodore Dreiser's ''Sister Carrie'' is a cornerstone of the turn of the 20th century Chicago Literary Renaissance, a tale of a country girl in the big immoral city, rags-to-riches and back again.<br />
*Stuart Dybek's ''The Coast of Chicago'' is a collection of fourteen marvelous short stories about growing up in Chicago (largely in [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] and [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]]) in a style blending the gritty with the dreamlike.<br />
*John Guzlowski's ''Lightning and Ashes'' chronicles the author's experiences growing up in the immigrant and DP neighborhoods around [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]] in Chicago, talking about Jewish hardware store clerks with Auschwitz tattoos on their wrists, Polish cavalry officers who still mourned for their dead horses, and women who walked from Siberia to Iran to escape the Russians.<br />
*Erik Larson's ''Devil in the White City'' is a best-selling pop history about the 1893 Colombian Exposition; it's also about the serial killer who was stalking the city at the same time. For a straight history of the Exposition and also the workers' paradise in Pullman, try James Gilbert's excellent ''Perfect Cities: Chicago's Utopias of 1893''.<br />
*Audrey Niffenegger's ''The Time-Traveler's Wife'' is a recent love story set in Chicago nightclubs, museums, and libraries.<br />
*Mike Royko's ''Boss'' is the definitive biography of Mayor Richard J. Daley and politics in Chicago, written by the beloved late Tribune columnist. ''American Pharaoh'' (Cohen and Taylor) is a good scholarly treatment of the same subject.<br />
*Carl Sandburg's ''Chicago Poems'' is without a doubt the most famous collection of poems about Chicago by its own &quot;bard of the working class.&quot;<br />
*Upton Sinclair's ''The Jungle'' sits among the canon of both Chicago literature and US labor history for its muckraking-style depiction of the desolation experienced by Lithuanian immigrants working in the Union Stockyards on Chicago's [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]].<br />
*Richard Wright's ''Native Son'' is a classic Chicago neighborhood novel set in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] and [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] about a young, doomed, black boy hopelessly warped by the racism and poverty that defined his surroundings.<br />
<br />
===Movies===<br />
<br />
Chicago is America's third most prolific movie industry and a host of very Chicago-centric movies have been produced here. These are just a few:<br />
<br />
* ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (John Hughes, 1986). The dream of the northern suburbs: to be young, clever, and loose for a day in Chicago. Ferris and friends romp through the old Loop theater district, catch a game at Wrigley Field, and enjoy the sense of invincibility that Chicago shares with its favorite sons when all is well.<br />
* ''Adventures in Babysitting'' (Chris Columbus, 1987). The flip side of Ferris Bueller — the dangers that await the suburbanite in the Loop at night, including memorable trips to lower Michigan Avenue and up close with the Chicago skyline.<br />
* ''The Blues Brothers'' (John Landis, 1980). Probably Chicago's favorite movie about itself: blues music, white men in black suits, a mission from God, the conscience that every Chicago hustler carries without question, and almost certainly the biggest car chase ever filmed.<br />
* ''The Untouchables'' (Brian De Palma, 1987). With a square-jawed screenplay by David Mamet, this is a retelling of Chicago's central fable of good vs. evil: Eliot Ness and the legendary takedown of Al Capone. No film (except perhaps ''The Blues Brothers'') has made a better use of so many Chicago locations, especially Union Station (the baby carriage), the Chicago Cultural Center (the rooftop fight), and the LaSalle Street canyon.<br />
* ''High Fidelity'' (Stephen Frears, 2000). John Cusack reviews failed relationships from high school at Lane Tech to college in Lincoln Park and muses over them in trips through Uptown, River North, all over the city on the CTA, his record store in the rock snob environs of Wicker Park, and returning at last to his record-swamped apartment in Rogers Park.<br />
* ''Batman Begins'' (Christopher Nolan, 2005) and its sequel ''The Dark Knight'' (2008). Making spectacular use of the 'L', the Chicago Board of Trade Building, Chicago skyscrapers, the Loop at night, and lower Wacker Drive, the revived action series finally sets the imposing power and intractable corruption of Gotham City where it belongs, in Chicago.<br />
<br />
Others include Harrison Ford vs. the one-armed man in ''The Fugitive'', the CTA vs. true love in ''While You Were Sleeping'', Autobots vs. Decepticons in ''Transformers 3'', and the greatest Patrick Swayze hillbilly ninja vs. Italian mob film of all time, ''Next of Kin''.<br />
<br />
===Smoking===<br />
<br />
Smoking is prohibited by state law at all restaurants, bars, nightclubs, workplaces, and public buildings. It's also banned within fifteen feet of any entrance, window, or exit to a public place, and at CTA train stations. The fine for violating the ban can range from $100 to $250.<br />
<br />
===Tourist Information===<br />
Chicago's visitor information centers offer maps, brochures and other information.<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Water Works Visitor Information Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;163 E Pearson Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877 244-2246&quot; url=&quot;http://explorechicago.org/city/en/travel_tools/visitor_centers.html&quot; hours=&quot;M-Th 8AM-7PM, F 8AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10AM-6PM (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day)&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;The city's main visitor information center is located on the Magnificent Mile in the historic Pumping Station, across the street from the Water Tower. In addition to extensive free visitor materials, there is a small cafe and a Hot Tix window for discount theater tickets.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;77 E Randolph St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 744-8000&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://explorechicago.org/city/en/travel_tools/visitor_centers.html&quot; hours=&quot;M-Th 8AM-7PM, F 8AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10AM-6PM (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day)&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;A centrally located place to pick up a host of useful, free materials. The Cultural Center itself makes a good first stop on your tour, with free, worthwhile art and historical exhibits throughout the year.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
==Get in==<br />
[[Image:Chicago overview map.png|thumb|400px|]]<br />
===By plane===<br />
<br />
Chicago ({{IATA|CHI}} for [[Metropolitan Area Airport Codes|all airports]]) is served by two major airports: '''O'Hare International Airport''' [http://ohare.com] and '''Midway Airport''' [http://flychicago.com/midway/midwayHomepage.shtm]. There are plenty of taxis both to and from the city center, but they are quite expensive, especially during rush hours. Expect upwards of $40 for O'Hare and $30 for Midway. CTA trains provide direct service to both larger airports for $2.25 from anywhere in the city — faster than a taxi during rush hour and a lot less expensive.<br />
<br />
Many large hotels offer complimentary shuttle vans to one or both airports, or can arrange one for a charge ($15-25) with advance notice.<br />
<br />
====O'Hare====<br />
<br />
'''[[O'Hare International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|ORD}}, {{ICAO|KORD}}) is 17 miles northwest of downtown and serves many international and domestic carriers. '''United Airlines''' [http://united.com] has the largest presence here (about 50%) followed by '''American Airlines''' [http://aa.com] with about 40%. Most connecting flights for smaller cities in the Midwest run through O'Hare. It's one of the biggest airports in the world, and it has always been notorious for delays and cancellations. Unfortunately, it's too far northwest for most travelers who get stuck overnight to head into the city. As a result, there are ''plenty'' of hotels in the O'Hare area. See the [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] article for listings.<br />
<br />
The CTA Blue Line runs between the Loop and O'Hare every 15 minutes 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. A lot of repair work has been completed on the Blue line and the trip from O'Hare to the Loop now takes 35-50 minutes. The O'Hare station is the end of the line and is essentially in the basement of O'Hare airport. Walking from the platform to the ticket counters should take 5-10 minutes for Terminals 2 or 3, slightly more for Terminal 1, and a great deal longer for the International Terminal 5 (It is necessary to take the free people mover for transfer).<br />
<br />
====Midway====<br />
<br />
'''[[Chicago/Southwest Side#By plane|Midway International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|MDW}}, {{ICAO|KMDW}}) is ten miles southwest of downtown. '''Southwest Airlines''' [http://southwest.com] is the largest carrier here, followed by '''AirTran''' [http://airtran.com]. If it's an option for your trip, Midway is more compact, less crowded, has fewer delays, and usually cheaper. And, of course, it's significantly closer to downtown.<br />
<br />
The CTA Orange Line train runs between the Loop and Midway in around 25 minutes. Keep in mind that the CTA Midway Station is at the end of the Orange Line. There is an enclosed tunnel that links the station and airport but it takes approximately 10-15 minutes to walk from one to the other. There are a number of hotels clustered around Midway, too — see the [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Sleep|Southwest Side]] article for listings.<br />
<br />
====Others====<br />
<br />
'''Chicago Executive Airport''' ({{IATA|PWK}}, {{ICAO|KPWK}}) is nine miles north of O'Hare, serves the general and business aviation sector, and is the third busiest airport in Illinois. Approximately three hundred aircraft are based on the field and approximately 200,000 take-offs and landings occur annually. Air taxi and air charter companies such as '''Jetset Charter''' [http://www.jscharter.com] fly a variety of private charter aircraft and jets, from charter luxury Gulfstream's down to economical piston twins for small groups and individuals.<br />
<br />
[[Milwaukee]]'s '''General Mitchell International Airport''' [http://mitchellairport.com] ({{IATA|MKE}}, {{ICAO|KMKE}}) is served by 7 Amtrak trains per day (6 on Sunday), and the Hiawatha Service has a 95% on-time rating. The trip from Chicago Union Station to Mitchell Airport Station is about one hour and 15 minutes. There are also buses from Mitchell Airport to Chicago OHare Airport.<br />
<br />
===By bus===<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Greyhound&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;630 W Harrison St&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 408-5800&quot; url=&quot;http://greyhound.com&quot; hours=&quot;24 hours&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt; America's largest bus carrier offers service to destinations throughout the Midwest. The main terminal is near the southwestern corner of the Loop. There are secondary terminals at the CTA Red Line station at 95th/Dan Ryan and the CTA transit building (5800 N Cumberland).&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Indian Trails&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;at the Greyhound Station&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://indiantrails.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt; Frequent daily service to Michigan's Upper Peninsula via Wisconsin. Onward connections are available. Buses have Wi-Fi and power outlets.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Megabus&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;East across Canal St from Union Station&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877 462-6342&quot; url=&quot;http://megabus.com/us&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;Detroit $1-50 / Milwaukee $1-20 / Minneapolis $1-52&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Daily service across the [[Midwest]] with destinations from [[Memphis]] to [[Minneapolis]]. Buses have Wi-Fi and 110v outlets. &lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Wisconsin Coach&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;O'Hare Airport&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877-324-7767&quot; url=&quot;http://wisconsincoach.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;ORD: $26&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Offers 14 buses daily, departing every hour, from O'Hare to Southeastern Wisconsin and Milwaukee, including Milwaukee Airport.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
===By train===<br />
[[Image:Union Station steps.jpg|thumb|300px|Hold on to your baby carriages in Union Station!]]<br />
<br />
Chicago is historically the rail hub of the entire United States. Today, '''Amtrak''' [http://amtrak.com], ☎ +1 800 872-7245, uses the magisterial '''Union Station''' (Canal St and Jackson Blvd) as the hub of its Midwestern routes, making Chicago one of the most convenient U.S. cities to visit by train, serving the majority of the passenger rail company's long-distance routes, with options from virtually every major US city. With its massive main hall, venerable history, and cinematic steps, Union Station is worth a visit even if you're not coming in by train. <br />
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Most (but not all) Metra suburban trains run from Union Station and nearby '''Ogilvie/Northwestern Station''' (Canal St and Madison St), which are west of the Loop. Some southern lines run from stations on the east side of the Loop. The suburban trains run as far as [[Kenosha]], [[Aurora]], and [[Joliet]], while the South Shore line runs through [[Indiana]] as far as [[South Bend]]. Several CTA buses converge upon the two stations, and the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] CTA trains are within walking distance.<br />
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===By car===<br />
<br />
Chicagoans have a maddening habit of referring to some expressways by their names, not the numbers used to identify them on the signs you'll see posted on the U.S. interstate highway system, so you'll have to commit both name and number to memory. '''I-55''' (the '''Stevenson Expressway''') will take you directly from [[St. Louis]] into downtown Chicago. '''I-90/94''' ('''The Dan Ryan''') comes in from [[Indiana]] to the east (via the '''Chicago Skyway''' and '''Bishop Ford Freeway''') and from central [[Illinois]] (via '''I-57'''). '''I-90''' ('''The Kennedy''') comes in from [[Madison (Wisconsin)|Madison]] to the northwest. '''I-94''' (the '''Edens Expressway''') comes in from [[Milwaukee]] to the north, but recent roadwork has slowed traffic considerably compared to I-90. '''I-80''' will get you to the city from [[Iowa]] which neighbors Illinois to the west.<br />
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If arriving downtown from Indiana, from the south on '''I-94''' or '''I-90''', or from the north, Lake Shore Drive ('''U.S. Highway 41''') provides a scenic introduction in both directions, day or night. If arriving on '''I-55''' from the southwest, or on '''I-290''' (the '''Eisenhower Expressway''', formerly and sometimes still called '''The Congress Expressway''') from the west, the skyline may also be visible from certain clear spots, but without the shore view. It should also be noted that I-55 from the southwest and I-90 through much of northwest Indiana are chock full of heavy industries with odors that'll knock your socks off, so plan your route downtown wisely.<br />
<br />
==Get around==<br />
[[Image:CTA_L map.png|thumb|400px|CTA trains route map]]<br />
<br />
Navigating Chicago is easy. Block numbers are consistent across the whole city. Standard blocks, of 100 addresses each, are roughly 1/8th of a mile long. (Hence, a mile is equivalent to a street number difference of 800.) Each street is assigned a number based on its distance from the zero point of the address system, the intersection of State Street and Madison Street. A street with a W (west) or E (east) number runs north-south, while a street with a N (north) or S (south) number runs east-west. A street's number is usually written on street signs at intersections, below the street name. Major thoroughfares are at each mile (multiples of 800) and secondary arteries at the half-mile marks. Thus, Western Ave at 2400 W is a north-south major thoroughfare, while Montrose Ave at 4400 N is an east-west secondary artery. <br />
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In general, &quot;avenues&quot; run north-south and &quot;streets&quot; run east-west, but there are numerous exceptions. (e.g., 48th Street may then be followed by 48th Place). In conversation, however, Chicagoans rarely distinguish between streets, avenues, boulevards, etc. <br />
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Several streets follow diagonal or meandering paths through the city such as Clark St, Lincoln Ave, Broadway, Milwaukee Ave, Ogden Ave, Archer Ave, Vincennes Ave, and South Chicago Ave. <br />
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===By public transit===<br />
The best way to see Chicago is by public transit. It is cheap (basically), efficient (at times), and safe (for the most part). The '''Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)''' [http://rtachicago.com/] oversees the various public transit agencies in the [[Chicagoland]] area. You can plan trips online with the RTA '''trip planner''' [http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/] or get assistance by calling 836-7000 in any local area code between 5AM-1AM. The RTA also has an official partnership with Google Maps, which can provide routes with public transit.<br />
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&lt;!--PRINT<br />
[[Image:Chicago overview map print.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
[[Image:CTA_L map.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
[[Image:Metra map.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
====CTA====<br />
<br />
The '''Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)''' [http://transitchicago.com/] operates trains and buses in the city of Chicago and some of the suburbs. Put simply, the CTA ''is'' Chicago. It is a marvel and a beast, convenient, frustrating, and irreplaceable. Even if you have the option of driving while you're in town, no experience of Chicago is complete without a trip on the CTA.<br />
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Fares are paid with '''transit cards''', which can be purchased and re-filled at kiosks in the lobby of every CTA station. All accept cash, and some accept credit cards. Many locals use the '''Chicago Card''', which cannot be purchased at stations, but can be ordered online [http://chicago-card.com] and also purchased at grocery stores and currency exchanges. '''Visitor passes''' are sold for unlimited travel on the CTA and Pace: 1 Day (24 hours) for $5.75; 3 Days for $14; 7 Days for $23 and 30 Days for $86. These passes are on sale at certain train stations (notably, the O'Hare Blue Line station), currency exchanges and some convenience stores, and online [http://transitchicago.com/fares_gifts]. Transit cards for single rides or larger increments can also be purchased online. <br />
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Train rides of any length, from one side of the city to another or just one stop, cost $2.25. At certain stations, you can transfer to other train lines at no extra cost. Once you have exited the turnstiles, entering another CTA station or boarding a CTA bus costs $0.25 — and doing it a third time is free, provided it's still within two hours of when you started the trip.<br />
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Locals refer to Chicago's public train system as the &quot;L&quot;. (Most lines run on '''el'''-evated tracks — get it?) All train lines radiate from the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] to every corner of the city. The &quot;Loop&quot; name originally referred to a surface-level streetcar loop, which pre-dated the elevated tracks; that ''any'' form of transportation preceded the present one may come as a surprise, given how old some of the stations look. But they work.<br />
[[Image:Ctabus.jpg|thumb|240px|A CTA bus - note the number/destination and symbol for wheelchair accessibility]]<br />
CTA train lines are divided by colors: Red, Green, Brown, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Orange and Pink. All lines lead to the Loop except the Yellow Line, which is a nonstop shuttle between the suburb of [[Skokie]] and the northern border of Chicago. The Red and Blue lines run 24/7, making Chicago one of only two American cities with 24-hour rail service. Hours for the other lines vary somewhat by day, but as a general rule are from about 4:30AM-12:40AM, slightly later on weekends.<br />
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Before you travel, find out the name of the train stop closest to your destination, and the color of the train line on which it is located. Once you're on-board, you'll find route maps in each train car, above the door. The same map is also available online [http://transitchicago.com/maps/maps/fwebmaptrain.gif]. The name signs on platforms often have the station's location in the street grid, e.g. &quot;5900 N, 1200 W&quot; for Thorndale.<br />
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There should be an attendant on duty at every train station. They can't provide change or deal with money, but they can help you figure out where you need to go and guide you through using the machines.<br />
[[Image:Chicagobusstop.jpg|thumb|200px|A CTA bus stop - note the symbols for wheelchair accessibility and late-night hours]]<br />
'''Buses''' run on nearly every major street in the city. Look for the blue and white sign, which should give a map of the route taken by the bus and major streets/stops along the way. Once inside, watch the front of the bus — a red LED display will list the names of the streets as they pass, making it easy to stop exactly where you'd like, even if it's a small side-street. To request a stop, pull the cord hanging above the window and make sure you hear an audible 'ding'. Hollering at the bus driver will raise tempers but works in a pinch.<br />
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Rides of any length cost $2 with a transit card or Chicago Card, and $2.25 in cash. Major bus routes run 7-15 minutes apart during daylight hours, depending on the route. Less-traveled routes or routes during off-peak hours may run less frequently. Check the sign to be sure the bus is still running. There are several bus routes that are on a 24 hour/7 day a week schedule — these are called OWL routes, and the signs usually have an owl to belabor that point. (See individual district articles for major bus routes through different parts of the city.)<br />
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If you have a web-enabled mobile device, the CTA runs a little godsend called the '''CTA Bus Tracker''' [http://ctabustracker.com/bustime/home.jsp], which uses GPS to provide reliable, real-time tracking information for almost all bus routes. If your mobile phone doesn't have internet service, you can use '''CTA By Text''' [http://ctabytext.com] to receive bus arrival times via text message.<br />
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CTA buses accept transit cards but do not sell them. They also accept cash, but do not provide change. If you overpay, the CTA keeps the extra cash, so carry exact change.<br />
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In compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, all CTA buses and some train stations are accessible to wheelchairs. Wheelchair-accessible 'L' stations are indicated by the international wheelchair symbol and have elevators or are at ground level. If you are trying to get to a place with a non-accessible station, there will be alternate routes by bus — contact the CTA for more information.<br />
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Crime on the CTA is low, but as with any major urban area, travelers should be aware of their surroundings when traveling in the wee hours of the night, and sit close to the driver if you feel uncomfortable for any reason. Buses are being equipped with video cameras as the fleet is upgraded. Some train cars have a button and speaker for emergency communication with the driver, located in the center aisle of the car on the wall next to the door. Do not press this just to chat — the driver is required to halt the train until the situation has been confirmed as resolved, and your fellow passengers will be unamused.<br />
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====Metra and South Shore====<br />
[[Image:Chicago_metra_near_the_loop.jpg|thumb|250px|Metra train on the way to the Loop]]<br />
[[Image:Metra map.png|thumb|420px|Metra system map]]<br />
'''Metra''' [http://metrarail.com/], ☎ +1 312 322-6777, runs commuter trains for the suburbs, providing service within Illinois, to [[Kenosha]], [[Wisconsin]], out west, and to the South Shore railroad, which provides service to [[South Bend]], [[Indiana]]. Metra trains are fast, clean, and punctual, but unpleasantly crowded during rush hour. Generally, every car or every other car on the train has a bathroom.<br />
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Metra's '''Electric Line''' provides service to the [[Chicago/Near South|convention center]] (McCormick Place), [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] (Museum of Science and Industry, University of Chicago), and the [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]'s Pullman Historic District and Rainbow Beach. The Electric Line is ''fast'', taking at most 15 minutes to reach Hyde Park from the Loop. Unfortunately, service outside of rush hours is infrequent (about once/hour), so be sure to check the schedules while planning your trip.<br />
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Although there are plans to change this in the future, none of the commuter trains currently accept CTA transit cards as payment. The fare to McCormick Place and Hyde Park, however, is only $2. Buy your tickets before boarding the train at a window or one of the automated vending machines. You can buy a ticket on the train, but that comes with an extra $2/ticket surcharge.<br />
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Ten-ride, weekly, and monthly passes are available. If you have a group of four or more people, it may be cheaper to purchase a ten-ride card and have all of your fares punched from that one card. If using Metra on Saturday and/or Sunday, you can purchase an unlimited ride weekend pass for just $7. Keep in mind that Metra only accepts cash at this time.<br />
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====Pace====<br />
'''Pace''' [http://pacebus.com/] runs buses in the suburbs, although some routes do cross into the city, particularly in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] at the Howard (Red/Purple/Yellow Line) CTA station and the [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]] at the Jefferson Park (Blue Line) CTA station. Pace provides paratransit services should you need to go somewhere inconvenient via CTA.<br />
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===By car===<br />
Avoid driving in downtown Chicago if at all possible. Traffic is awful, pedestrians are constantly wandering into the street out of turn, and garages in the Loop can cost as much as $40 per day. And although downtown streets are laid out on the grid, many have multiple levels which confuse even the most hardened city driver. Even outside of the city center, street parking may not be readily available. If you do find a spot, check street signs to make sure that a) no residential permit is required to park here and b) parking is not disallowed during certain hours for &quot;street cleaning&quot;, rush hour or something along those lines. Parking restrictions are swiftly and mercilessly enforced in the form of tickets and towing — be especially wary during snowy weather.<br />
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Parking is handled by one-per-block kiosks, which will issue a slip for you to put in your front window. The kiosks will accept cash or credit cards. If the kiosk fails for any reason (such as the printer running out of paper), there should be a phone number to call to report it and ensure you don't receive an undeserved ticket. As you do, any passing Chicagoan will be happy to commiserate about how badly the city bungled privatizing the parking meters.<br />
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Be advised: '''talking on a handheld cell phone while driving is illegal''' in Chicago, and the police are eager to write tickets for it. If you need to take a call, use a hands-free headset — or better yet, pull over.<br />
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The perpetual construction is bad enough, but drivers on the city expressways can be very aggressive. For those used to driving on expressways in the Northeast, this may be a welcome reminder of home. For everyone else, though, it can be intimidating.<br />
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===By taxi===<br />
{{infobox|Your Name Here|Determined to shake off the burden of a world-class cultural heritage, Chicago has always found ways to undercut its own treasures in exchange for a quick buck. Of late, &quot;naming rights&quot; are all the rage; while official city tourism guides rush to comply, using the new names will earn an eye roll or an oblivious look from most Chicagoans (and cab drivers). A few of the worst offenders:<br />
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* '''Sears Tower''' — 36 years after it was built, North America's tallest building was redubbed the &quot;Willis Tower&quot; for a bunch of junk bond traders; even more surprising than the renaming was how little the owners got for it.<br />
* '''Comiskey Park''' — Winning the city's first World Series in nearly a century helped earn some acceptance for the &quot;U.S. Cellular Field&quot; (&quot;The Cell&quot;) moniker, but it's still regarded as profanity by the old-timers in [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]], where the first Comiskey Park was built in 1910.<br />
* '''Hollywood Beach''' — The favorite beach of Chicago's GLBT community was renamed &quot;Kathy Osterman Beach&quot; for one of the mayor's [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Edgewater]] based political cronies, but more than a decade later, only city signage knows it by that name.}}<br />
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Chicago has some of the cheapest taxi fares in the U.S. Taxis can be hailed from the street throughout the major tourist areas, and are strictly regulated by the city. Fares are standard and the initial charge (&quot;flag pull&quot;) is $2.25 for the first 1/9 mile, then $0.20 for each additional 1/9 mile or $0.20 for each elapsed 36 seconds. There is a $1.00 fuel surcharge added to the initial charge. There is also a flat $1.00 charge for the second passenger, and then a $0.50 charge for each additional passenger after that (for example, if four people take a taxi together, there will be $2.00 in additional flat fees). There is no additional charge for baggage or credit card use. Rides from [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side#By plane|Midway]] to outer suburbs cost an additional one half the metered fee. Give the driver the nearest major intersection to which you are heading (if you know it) and then the specific address.<br />
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Outside of the downtown, North Side, Near West and Near South neighborhoods, you will likely have greater difficulty hailing a taxi directly from the street. In these situations, you can call for a taxi to come pick you up. Taxis typically take 10-15 minutes from the time you call to arrive. The principal companies are:<br />
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*'''American-United Taxi''', ☎ +1 773 248-7600<br />
*'''Checker Cab''', ☎ +1 312 243-2537<br />
*'''Flash Cab''', ☎ +1 773 561-1444 [http://flashcab.com/]<br />
*'''Yellow Cab''', ☎ +1 312 829-4222 [http://yellowcabchicago.com/]<br />
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The above applies only to Chicago taxis. Suburban taxi cabs have their own fares and rates, depending on the laws and regulations of the town in which they are based.<br />
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===By bicycle===<br />
Chicago has a bike path along the shores of Lake Michigan, making north-south travel very convenient as long as the weather is favorable by the lake. Most major city streets have bike lanes, and the biking culture is established enough that cars tend to accommodate and (grudgingly) yield to bicycles. Bike trips can also be combined with rides on the CTA. See the [[Chicago#Bicycles|bicycling section]] below for more details.<br />
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===By water taxi===<br />
In the summer, water taxis are sometimes more convenient than the CTA, if you are traveling around the fringes of downtown. They are also a relatively cheap way to take in some offshore views. Two private companies operate water taxi services around the Loop. <br />
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'''Chicago Water Taxi''' (''Wendella Boats'') [http://chicagowatertaxi.com/] ☎ +1 312 337-1446, uses yellow boats and has three stops (Michigan Ave, LaSalle/Clark, Madison St), plus Chinatown on weekends ($2, $4 Chinatown/all day pass). Taxis run roughly M-F 6:30AM-6:30PM, Sa-Su 10:30AM-6:30PM. <br />
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'''Shoreline Sightseeing''' [http://shorelinesightseeing.com/watertaximap.html] ☎ +1 312 222-9328, has blue and white boats. It is more expensive ($5-7), but it serves seven destinations including some on Lake Michigan (Union Station/Sears Tower, Wells &amp; Wacker, Michigan Ave Bridge, Navy Pier-Ogden Slip, Navy Pier-Dock St, Buckingham Fountain, and Museum Campus). Shoreline taxis run 10AM-6PM every twenty minutes and 6PM-9PM every half hour Memorial Day–Labor Day, with occasional and less frequent service in the spring and fall.<br />
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==See==<br />
&lt;!-- This section is for general Chicago topics. Listings for individual attractions should go in the appropriate district articles, listed above --&gt;<br />
<br />
===Itineraries===<br />
* [[Along the Magnificent Mile]] — one day and night in Chicago, with skyscrapers, shopping, food, parks, and amazing views of the city from high and low.<br />
* [[Loop Art Tour]] — a 2-4 hour walking tour of downtown Chicago's magnificent collection of modern sculpture.<br />
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===Museums===<br />
[[Image:Lincolnparkzoo.jpg|thumb|240px|Penguin triumphant, Lincoln Park Zoo]]<br />
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Chicago's set of museums and cultural institutions are among the best in the world. Three of them are located within a short walk of each other in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]], on what is known as the '''Museum Campus''', in a beautiful spot along the lake: the '''Adler Planetarium''', with all sorts of cool hands-on space exhibits and astronomy shows; the '''Field Museum of Natural History''', which features '''SUE''', the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, and a plethora of Egyptian treasures; and the '''Shedd Aquarium''', with dolphins, whales, sharks, and the best collection of marine life east of California. A short distance away, in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], is the most fun of them all, the '''Museum of Science and Industry''' — or, as generations of Chicago-area grammar school students know it, the best field trip ever.<br />
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In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], the '''Art Institute of Chicago''' has a handful of iconic household names among an unrivaled collection of Impressionism, modern and classical art, and tons of historical artifacts. And in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], a short trip from the Loop, the cheerful (and free) '''Lincoln Park Zoo''' welcomes visitors every day of the week, with plentiful highlights like the Regenstein Center for African Apes.<br />
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Also, Chicago has some knockout less well-known museums scattered throughout the city like the '''International Museum of Surgical Science''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Gold Coast]], '''Chicago History Museum''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park|Lincoln Park]], '''DuSable Museum of African American History''' in [[Chicago/Washington Park|Washington Park]], '''National Museum of Mexican Art''' in [[Pilsen]], the '''Polish Museum of America''' in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], and the '''Museum of Photography''' in the Loop. The University of Chicago, in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], has several cool (and free) museums that are open to all visitors, showcasing a spectacular collection of antiquities and modern/contemporary art.<br />
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Discount packages like the '''Chicago CityPASS''' [http://www.citypass.com/chicago/] can be purchased before you arrive in town. They cover admission to some museums and other tourist attractions, allowing you to cut to the front of lines, and may include discounts for restaurants and shopping. Also, programs such as Bank of America's Museums to Go offer free admission at multiple Chicago museums for designated times which can save you a small fortune on admission fees.<br />
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===Architecture===<br />
{{web|''See the [[Chicago skyline guide]] to find out more about the city's skyscrapers.''}}<br />
[[Image:Prairie School Style Home.JPG|thumb|300px|Prairie School Style Home, [[Oak Park]]]]<br />
From the sternly classical to the space-age, from the Gothic to the coolly modern, Chicago is a place with an embarrassment of architectural riches. '''Frank Lloyd Wright''' fans will swoon to see his earliest buildings in Chicago, where he began his professional career and established the Prairie School architectural style, with numerous homes in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], [[Oak Park]], and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] — over 100 buildings in the Chicago metropolitan area! Frank Lloyd Wright learned his craft at the foot of the ''lieber meister'', '''Louis Sullivan''', whose ornate, awe-inspiring designs were once the jewels of the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and whose few surviving buildings (Auditorium Theater, Carson Pirie Scott Building, one in the [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]]) still stand apart. <br />
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The 1871 Chicago Fire forced the city to rebuild. The ingenuity and ambition of Sullivan, his teacher '''William Le Baron Jenney''' (Manhattan Building), and contemporaries like '''Burnham &amp; Root''' (Monadnock, Rookery) and '''Holabird &amp; Roche/Root''' (Chicago Board of Trade) made Chicago the definitive city of their era. The world's first '''skyscrapers''' were built in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] as those architects received ever more demanding commissions. It was here that steel-frame construction was invented, allowing buildings to rise above the limits of load-bearing walls. Later, '''Mies van der Rohe''' would adapt Sullivan's ethos with landmark buildings in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] (Illinois Institute of Technology) and the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] (Chicago Federal Center). Unfortunately, Chicago's world-class architectural heritage is almost evenly matched by the world-class recklessness with which the city has treated it, and the list is long of masterpieces that have been needlessly demolished for bland new structures.<br />
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Today, Chicago boasts three out of America's five tallest buildings: the '''[[Chicago/Loop#See|Sears Tower]]''' (1st), the [[Chicago/Near North#See|Trump Tower]] (2nd), and the Aon Center (5th) (although the local favorite is actually #6: the [[Chicago/Near North#See|John Hancock Center]]). For years, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world, but it has since lost the title. Various developers insist they're bringing the title back with proposed skyscrapers. Until they do, Chicago will have to settle for having the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere with the Sears Tower, although the Hancock has a better view and is quite frankly better-looking.<br />
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Chicago is particularly noted for its vast array of '''sacred architecture''', as diverse theologically as it is artistically. There were more than two thousand churches in Chicago at the opening of the twenty-first century. Of particular note are the so-called ''Polish Cathedrals'' like '''[[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown#See|St. Mary of the Angels]]''' in [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] and '''[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side#See|St. Hyacinth Basilica]]''' in [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Avondale]], as well as several treasures in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]] — beautifully crafted buildings with old world flourishes recognized for their unusually large size and impressive scope.<br />
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Architectural tours cover the landmarks on foot and by popular river boat tours, or by just standing awestruck on a downtown bridge over the Chicago River; see individual district articles for details. For a tour on the cheap, the short trip around the elevated Loop train circuit (Brown/Purple Lines) may be worth every penny of the $2 fare.<br />
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===African-American history===<br />
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Chicago's African-American history begins with the city's African-American founder, '''Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable'''. Born to a Haitian slave and a French pirate, he married a woman from the Potawatomi tribe, and built a house and trading post on the Chicago River on the spot of today's Pioneer Court (the square just south of the Tribune Tower in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]). Du Sable lived on the Chicago River with his family from the 1770s to 1800, when he sold his house to John Kinzie, whose family and friends would later claim to have founded the city.<br />
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Relative to other northern cities, African-Americans constituted a fairly large part of Chicago's early population because of Illinois' more tolerant culture, which was inherited from fervent anti-slavery Mormon settlers. As a non-slave state generally lacking official segregation laws, Illinois was an attractive place to live for black freedmen and fugitive slaves. <br />
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By the 1920s, Chicago had a thriving middle class African-American community based in the [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] neighborhood, which at the time became known as &quot;The Black Metropolis,&quot; home to a cultural renaissance comparable to the better-known Harlem Renaissance of New York. African-American literature of the time was represented by local poetess '''Gwendolyn Brooks''' and novelist '''Richard Wright''', most famous for his ''Native Son'', nearly all of which takes place in Chicago's [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] and [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]]. The Chicago school of African-American literature distinguished itself from the East Coast by its focus on the new realities of urban African-American life. Chicago became a ''major'' center of African-American jazz, and ''the'' center for the blues. Jazz great '''Louis Armstrong''' got his start there; other famous black Chicagoans of the day included Bessie Coleman — the world's first licensed black pilot, the hugely influential African-American and women's civil rights activist '''Ida B. Wells''', the great pitcher/manager/executive of Negro League Baseball '''Andrew &quot;Rube&quot; Foster''', and many more.<br />
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Both fueling and threatening Chicago's black renaissance was the single most influential part of Chicago's African-American history: '''the Great Migration'''. African-Americans from the rural [[South (United States of America)|South]] moved to the industrial cities of the North due to the post-WWI shortage of immigrant industrial labor, and to escape the Jim Crow Laws and racial violence of the South. The massive wave of migrants, most from [[Mississippi]], increased Chicago's black population by more than 500,000. With it came southern food, Mississippi blues, and the challenges of establishing adequate housing for so many recent arrivals — a challenge that they would have to meet themselves, without help from a racist and neglectful city government.<br />
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Black Chicago's renaissance was brought to its knees by the Great Depression; its fate was sealed ironically by the 1937 creation of the Chicago Housing Authority, which sought to build affordable public housing for the city. However well-intentioned the project may have sounded, the results were disastrous. The largest housing projects by far were the 1940 Ida B. Wells projects, which were designed to &quot;warehouse&quot; Chicago's population of poor African-Americans in a district far away from white population centers, the Cabrini Green projects, which developed a reputation as the most violent housing projects in the nation, and the massive 1962 Robert Taylor Homes in Bronzeville, which were forced to house an additional 16,000 people beyond their intended 11,000 capacity. The Black Metropolis proved unable to cope with this massive influx of new, impoverished residents, and the urban blight that came from concentrating such a great number of them in one place. <br />
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Further damaging to Chicago's black population was the phenomenon of &quot;white flight&quot; that accompanied the introduction of African-Americans to Chicago neighborhoods. Unwilling to live beside black neighbors, many Chicagoans fled desegregation to the suburbs. This trend was accelerated by the practice of &quot;blockbusting,&quot; where unsavory real estate agents would fan racist fears in order to buy homes on the cheap. As a result, Chicago neighborhoods (with the notable exceptions of [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]) never truly integrated, and the social, educational, and economic networks that incoming African-Americans hoped to join disintegrated in the wake of fleeing white communities. During this period, Chicago experienced a huge population loss and large sections of the city became covered with vacant lots, which in turn created the conditions for crime to flourish. A number of Chicago's major roads, most notably the Dan Ryan Expressway, were built in part to segregate these areas from more prosperous ones like the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]].<br />
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In 1966, '''Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.''' decided to come north and chose Chicago as his first destination. However, from the moment of his arrival on the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]], King was utterly confounded. The death threats that followed his march through Marquette Park were challenge enough, but nowhere in the South was there a more expert player of politics than Chicago's Mayor Richard J. Daley. King left town frustrated and exhausted, but '''Rev. Jesse Jackson''' continued civil rights efforts in Chicago through his Operation PUSH. The 1983 election of '''Mayor Harold Washington''', the first black mayor of Chicago, was a watershed event for Chicago's African-American population, and although long battles with obstructionist white politicians lay ahead, it marked the moment when African-American elected officials became major, independent forces in Chicago.<br />
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Today, with a plurality of nearly 40%, Chicago's black population is the country's second largest, after New York. The broader South Side is the cultural center of Chicago's black community; it constitutes the largest single African-American neighborhood in the country and boasts the nation's greatest concentration of black-owned businesses. Chicagoans ignorant of these areas may tell you that they are dangerous and crime-ridden, but the reality is much more complex. There are strong, middle and upper class black communities throughout the city, some of the more prominent of which include [[Chicago/Bronzeville|upper Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|South Shore]], and [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Beverly]]. <br />
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[[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] is the obvious destination for those interested in African-American history, although Kenwood also boasts interesting recent history, as it has been (or is) home to championship boxer Muhammad Ali, Nation of Islam leaders Elijah Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan, and '''President Barack Obama'''. No one should miss the '''DuSable Museum of African-American History''' in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], the first museum of African-American history in the United States. And if your interest is more precisely in African-American culture than history, head down to [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham and South Shore]] to enter the heart of Chicago's black community.<br />
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===Ethnic neighborhoods===<br />
[[Image:Chinatown%2C_Wentworth_Ave.jpg|thumb|300px|Wentworth Ave, Chinatown's main street]]<br />
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Chicago is among the most diverse cities in America, and many neighborhoods reflect the character and culture of the immigrants who established them. Some, however, do more than just reflect: they ''absorb'' you in a place that, for several blocks at a time, may as well be a chunk of another country, picked up and dropped near the shores of Lake Michigan. The best of Chicago's ethnic neighborhoods are completely uncompromised, and that makes them a real highlight for visitors.<br />
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Chicago's [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Chinatown]] is among the most active Chinatowns in the world. It even has its own stop on the CTA Red Line. It's on the South Side near [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]], birthplace of the Irish political power-brokers who have run Chicago government for most of the last century. More Irish communities exist on the [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Far Southwest Side]], where they even have an Irish castle to seal the deal. The [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]] houses enormous populations of Polish Highlanders and Mexicans, as well as reduced Lithuanian and Bohemian communities.<br />
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No serious Chicago gourmand would eat Indian food that didn't come from a restaurant on '''Devon Avenue''' in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]. It's paradise for spices, saris, and the latest Bollywood flicks. Lawrence Avenue in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Albany Park]] is sometimes called '''Seoul Drive''' for the Korean community there, and the Persian food on Kedzie Avenue nearby is simply astonishing. At the '''Argyle''' Red Line stop, by the intersection of Argyle and Broadway in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]], you'd be forgiven for wondering if you were still in America; Vietnamese, Thais, and Laotians share space on a few blocks of restaurants, grocery stores, and even dentists. Neither the Swedish settlers who built [[Chicago/Uptown|Andersonville]] or the Germans from [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]] are the dominant presence in those neighborhoods any more, but their identity is still present in restaurants, cultural centers, and other small discoveries to be made. Likewise, '''Little Italy''' and '''Greektown''' on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] survive only as restaurant strips. <br />
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A more contemporary experience awaits in [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] and [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]], two neighborhoods on the Lower West Side where the Spanish signage outnumbers the English; in fact, Chicago has the second largest Mexican and Puerto Rican populations outside of their respective home countries. Pilsen and its arts scene is an especially an exciting place to visit.<br />
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It's hard to imagine displacement being a concern for the Polish community on the city's [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest]] sides. The '''Belmont-Central''' business district is what you might consider the epicenter of Polish activity,. Bars, restaurants, and dozens of other types of Polish businesses thrive on this strip, and on a smaller section of Milwaukee Avenue (between Roscoe and Diversey) in the vicinity of ''St. Hyacinth Basilica'' which bears the Polish name of '''Jackowo'''- [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Chicago's Polish Village]]. Polish Highlanders, or Górals, on the other hand dominate the city's [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]] with a cuisine and culture that is decidedly Balkan. A host of restaurants and cultural institutions visibly display the rustic touch of their Carpathian craft such as the '''Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America''' at Archer Avenue just northeast of its intersection with Pulaski Road.'''Taste of Polonia''', held over Labor Day weekend on the grounds of the Copernicus Foundation at the historic '''[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Gateway Theatre]]''', draws an annual attendance of about 50,000 people and is touted as the city's largest ethnic fest.<br />
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==Do==<br />
&lt;!-- This section is for general Chicago topics. Listings for individual attractions should go in the appropriate district articles, listed above --&gt;<br />
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===Beaches=== <br />
Chicago is not known as a beach destination, but Lake Michigan is the largest freshwater lake located entirely within the United States, and Chicagoans flock to its sandy shores. Anyone can show up and swim — there are no admission fees, miles of beaches are within walking distance of the Red Line, and almost none of the lakefront is spoiled by &quot;private&quot; beaches. Despite the latitude, the water is quite warm in the summer and early fall {{web|(check with the NOAA for temperatures [http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/lmofs/fore_temp.shtml]) }}. The Chicago shore has been called the second cleanest urban waterfront ''in the world'', although bacteria levels in the water do force occasional — but rare — beach closures (which are clearly posted at the beach, and online [http://chicagoparkdistrict.com/resources/beaches/]). Lifeguards will be posted (usually in a rowboat) if the beach is officially open.<br />
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Oak Street Beach and North Avenue Beach (in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] and [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]]) are the fashionable places to sun-tan and be seen, but [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] has mile after mile of less pretentious sand and surf. [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park's]] Promontory Point is beautiful, and offers skyline views from its submerged beach by the rocks (although a swim there is ''technically'' against city rules). Hollywood Beach in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Edgewater]] is the main gay beach.<br />
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===Parks===<br />
[[Image:Jackson Park, Osaka Garden.jpg|thumb|240px|The Osaka Garden on Jackson Park's Wooded Isle]]<br />
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Where there are beaches, there are lakefront parks. During the summer months, the parks are a destination for organized and impromptu volleyball and soccer games, chess matches, and plenty more, with tennis and basketball courts dotted along the way. <br />
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There are also terrific parks further away from the lake. In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], '''Grant Park''' hosts music festivals throughout the year, and '''Millennium Park''' is a fun destination for all ages, especially during the summer. In [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], '''Midway Park''' offers skating, and summer and winter gardens in the shadow of the academic giant, the University of Chicago, and '''Jackson Park''' has golf, more gardens and the legacy of the city's shining moment, the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition. In [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], '''Washington Park''' is one of the city's best places for community sports. And that's just a brief overview. Almost every neighborhood in Chicago has a beloved park.<br />
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===Events &amp; Festivals=== <br />
If you're ''absolutely'' determined and you plan carefully, you may be able to visit Chicago during a festival-less week. It's a challenge, though. Most neighborhoods, parishes, and service groups host their own annual festivals throughout the spring, summer, and fall [http://explorechicago.org/city/en/supporting_narrative/events___special_events/special_events/mose/chicago_neighborhood.html]. There are a few can't-miss city-wide events, though. In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], Grant Park hosts '''Taste of Chicago''' in July, and four major music festivals: '''Blues Fest''' and '''Gospel Fest''' in June, '''Lollapalooza''' in August, and '''Jazz Fest''' over Labor Day Weekend. All but Lollapalooza are free. The Chicago-based music website '''Pitchfork Media''' also hosts their own annual three day festival of rock, rap, and more in the summer.<br />
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===Sports===<br />
With entries in every major professional sports league and several universities in the area, Chicago sports fans have a lot to keep them occupied. The '''Chicago Bears''' play football at Soldier Field in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] from warm September to frigid January. Since the baseball teams split the city in half, nothing seizes the Chicago sports consciousness like a playoff run from the Bears. Aspiring fans will be expected to be able to quote a minimum of two verses of the ''Super Bowl Shuffle'' from memory, tear up at the mention of Walter Payton, and provide arguments as to how Butkus, Singletary, and Urlacher represent stages in the evolution of the linebacker, with supporting evidence in the form of grunts, yells, and fists slammed on tables.<br />
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The '''Chicago Bulls''' play basketball at the United Center on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]. While quality of play and ticket prices may never reach Jordan-era mania, they're still an exciting team to watch, led by young star Derrick Rose. The '''Chicago Blackhawks''' share quarters with the Bulls. As one of the &quot;Original Six&quot; teams in professional hockey, the Blackhawks have a long history in their sport, and the team is experiencing a renaissance after capturing the Stanley Cup in 2010 for the first time in 49 years. Home games for both teams tend to sell out, but tickets can usually be found if you check around. Both the Bulls and the Blackhawks play from the end of October to the beginning of April.<br />
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It's baseball, though, in which the tribal fury of Chicago sports is best expressed. The '''Chicago Cubs''' play at Wrigley Field on the North Side, in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], and the '''Chicago White Sox''' play at U.S. Cellular Field (Comiskey Park, underneath the corporate naming rights) on the South Side, in [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]]. Both franchises have more than a century's worth of history, and both teams play 81 home games from April to the beginning of October. Everything else is a matter of fiercely held opinion. The two three-game series when the teams play each other are the hottest sports tickets in Chicago during any given year. If someone offers you tickets to a game, pounce.<br />
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There are plenty of smaller leagues in the city as well, although some play their games in the suburbs. The '''Chicago Fire''' (Major League Soccer) and '''Chicago Red Stars''' (Women's Professional Soccer) play soccer in the suburb of Bridgeview, the '''Chicago Sky''' play women's professional basketball at the UIC Pavilion on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]], and the '''Windy City Rollers''' skate flat-track roller derby in neighboring [[Cicero]]. Minor league baseball teams dot the suburbs as well.<br />
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While college athletics are not one of Chicago's strong points, Northwestern football (in [[Evanston]]) and DePaul basketball (off-campus in [[Rosemont]]) show occasional signs of life. If you find yourself in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], ask someone how the University of Chicago football team is doing — it's a surefire conversation starter.<br />
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===Theater===<br />
[[Image:Gateway Theatre (Chicago).jpg||thumb|250px|right| The Gateway Theatre in [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Jefferson Park]], seat of the Copernicus Foundation. The theater's Baroque spire is a replica of the Royal Castle in [[Warsaw]].]]<br />
Modern American comedy — the good parts, at least — was born when a group of young actors from [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] formed The Compass Players, fusing intelligence and a commitment to character with an improvisational spark. One strand of their topical, hyper-literate comedy led, directly or indirectly, to Shelly Berman, Mike Nichols &amp; Elaine May, Lenny Bruce, ''M*A*S*H'' and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''; another strand, namely '''The Second City''', led to ''Saturday Night Live'' and a pretty huge percentage of the funny movies and television of the last thirty years. Still in Chicago's [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]] (and few other places as well), still smart and still funny, Second City does two-act sketch revues followed by one act of improv. If you only see one show while you're in Chicago, Second City is a good choice.<br />
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Improvisational comedy as a performance art form is a big part of the Chicago theater scene. At [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] and [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]] theaters like '''The Annoyance Theater''', '''I.O.''', and '''The Playground''', young actors take classes and perform shows that range from ragged to inspired throughout the week. Some are fueled by the dream of making the cast of ''SNL'' or Tina Fey's latest project, and some just enjoy doing good work on-stage, whether or not they're getting paid for it (and most aren't). There's no guarantee that you'll see something great on any given night, but improv tends to be cheaper than anything else in town, and it can definitely be worth the risk. Another popular theater experience is the comedy/drama hybrid '''Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind''', offering 30 plays in 60 minutes every weekend in [[Chicago/Uptown|Andersonville]].<br />
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'''Steppenwolf''', in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], is Chicago's other landmark theater. Founded in 1976, they have a history of taking risks onstage, and they have the ensemble to back it up, with heavyweights like Joan Allen, John Malkovich, and Gary Sinise. Steppenwolf isn't cheap any more, but they mix good, young actors with their veteran ensemble and still choose interesting, emotionally-charged scripts. It's the best place in town to see modern, cutting-edge theater with a bit of &quot;I went to...&quot; name-drop value for the folks back home. <br />
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Most of the prestige theaters, including the '''Broadway in Chicago''' outlets, are located in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] or the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]. Tickets are expensive and can be tough to get, but shows destined for [[New_York_City/Theater_District|Broadway]] like ''The Producers'' often make their debut here. For the cost-conscious, the '''League of Chicago Theatres''' operates '''Hot Tix''' [http://hottix.org/], which offers short-notice half-price tickets to many Chicago shows.<br />
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One theater to see, regardless of the production, is '''The Auditorium''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. It's a masterpiece of architecture and of performance space. Designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, who were on a commission from syndicate of local business magnates to bring some culture to the heathen city, it was the tallest building in Chicago and one of the tallest in the world at the time of its opening in 1889, and it's still an impressive sight, inside and out.<br />
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===Bicycles=== <br />
Chicago has a strong, passionate bicycle culture, and riding opportunities abound. Pedaling your way around the city is one of the best ways to get to know Chicago. And the terrain is mostly flat — a boon for easy-going cyclists! If you don't have a bike, that's no problem. '''Bobby's Bike Hike''' [http://bobbysbikehike.com/] has the official city concession, with a central bike rental location near Navy Pier, at the old North Pier at 465 N. McClurg Court. <br />
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The scenic '''Lakefront Trail''' runs for 18 continuous miles along the city's beautiful shoreline, from Hollywood Beach in Edgewater to the magnificent South Shore Cultural Center. Even while riding at a moderate pace, traveling downtown along the lakefront can be faster than driving or taking the CTA! If you're starting from downtown, you'll be at the approximate midpoint of the trail. Head south if you want a speed workout with fewer crowds, or north to see more of the locals at play.<br />
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Further inland, many streets have bike lanes, and signs direct riders to major bike routes. The City of Chicago maintains helpful '''bicycle resources online''' [http://chicagobikes.org/], including major civic bike events and (slow) interactive maps of major streets with bike lanes.<br />
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Bicyclists have to follow the same &quot;rules of the road&quot; as automobiles (stop at red lights and stop signs, etc). Bicycle riding is not allowed on sidewalks (except for children under age 12). This rule is strictly enforced in higher density neighborhoods, mostly areas near the lake, and is considered a criminal misdemeanor offense. You must walk your bike on the sidewalk.<br />
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CTA buses are all equipped with front bike racks, which carry up to two bicycles, and 'L' trains permit two bicycles per car ''except'' during rush hour (roughly 7-9:30AM and 3:30-6:30PM weekdays, excluding major holidays on which the CTA is running on a Sunday schedule). With the buses, inspect the rack closely for wear or damage and be absolutely certain that the bike is secured before you go, lest it fall off in traffic (and be immediately flattened by the bus). The CTA will fight tooth and nail to avoid reimbursing you for the loss, and the driver might not stop to let you retrieve it.<br />
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Bikes may be rented from the North Avenue Beach House ([[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]]), Navy Pier, ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]), the Millennium Park bike station ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]), and from several bike shops in the city. Another option is to contact the terrific '''Working Bikes Cooperative''' [http://workingbikes.org/], an all-volunteer group of bike lovers that collects and refurbishes bikes, and then sells a few in Chicago to support their larger project of shipping bikes to Africa and South America. You could buy a cheap bike and donate it back when you're done, or even spend a day or two working as a volunteer.<br />
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For an opportunity to connect with the local bike community and take a memorable trip through the city, don't miss the '''Critical Mass''' [http://chicagocriticalmass.org/] rides on the last Friday of every month, starting from Daley Plaza in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] (5:30PM). With numbers on their side, the hundreds or even thousands of bike riders wind up taking over entire streets along the way, with themed routes that are voted upon at the outset of the trip. Anyone is free to join or fall away wherever they like. Police are generally cooperative — take cues from more experienced riders.<br />
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==Learn==<br />
Several major and minor universities call Chicago home. The '''University of Chicago''' and '''Northwestern University''' are undoubtedly the most prestigious among them. The University of Chicago's Gothic campus is in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], which is, famously, &quot;home to more Nobel Prizes per square kilometer than any other neighborhood on Earth.&quot; Further north, in the [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] area, is the '''Illinois Institute of Technology''', which has notable programs in engineering and architecture. '''Northwestern University''' has its main campus in [[Evanston]], just north of Chicago, but it also has campuses in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] off Michigan Ave, including its medical, law, and business schools.<br />
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On the North Side, there are two major Catholic universities with over a hundred years in Chicago: '''DePaul University''', in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], and '''Loyola University''', in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]. Both schools also have campuses in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. '''Rush University Medical School''', on the Near West Side, traces its roots back even further, to 1837. Dating back to 1891, '''North Park University''' serves as another fine private liberal arts university in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Albany Park]] on the Northwest Side. <br />
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A handful of schools in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] attract students in the creative arts. '''Columbia College''' has an enviable location on Michigan Avenue, and its programs in film are continually noted as one of the top in the nation, along with its programs in creative writing and photography which are also are well-regarded. The '''School of the Art Institute''' is generally regarded as one of the top three art and design schools in the country and is one of the few art schools that does not require its students to declare majors. The '''Illinois Institute of Art''' specializes in different fields of art and design, with a top-notch culinary program. The main campus of '''Roosevelt University''', former home to Chicago heavyweights like Harold Washington and Ramsey Lewis, is in the Auditorium Theatre building. <br />
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To the west of the Loop, built over the remains of Little Italy and Maxwell Street neighborhoods is the brutalist [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] campus of the '''University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)''', the second-largest member of the Illinois state university system.<br />
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The '''City Colleges of Chicago''' [http://ccc.edu/] are scattered throughout the city. They include '''Harold Washington College''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]), '''Harry S. Truman College''' ([[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]), '''Malcolm X College''' ([[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]), '''Wright College''' ([[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]]), '''Kennedy-King College''' ([[Chicago/Southwest Side|Englewood]]), '''Daley College''' ([[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]), and '''Olive-Harvey College''' ([[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]).<br />
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==Work==<br />
[[Image:Loop, L overhead.jpg|thumb|240px|The L rumbling overhead in [[Chicago/Loop|the Loop]]]]<br />
Chicago still loves Carl Sandburg and his poems, but the city shucked off the hog butcher's apron a long time ago. In terms of industry, there's little that distinguishes Chicago from any other major city in America, save for size. The '''Chicago Board of Trade''' [http://cbot.com/] and '''Chicago Mercantile Exchange''' [http://cme.com/] are among the biggest employers, with stables of traders and stock wizards. '''Boeing''' [http://boeing.com/] moved its headquarters to Chicago amid much fanfare a few years ago; '''United Airlines''' [http://united.com/] is another international company with headquarters in town. '''Abbott Labs''' [http://abbott.com/], just outside city limits, is the biggest employer of foreign nationals in scientific fields. The Big Five consulting firms all have one or more offices in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. And there's always construction work in Chicago, but with a strong union presence in the city, it's not easy for a newcomer to break into without an introduction. <br />
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For younger workers, the museums in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] are always looking for low-paid, high-enthusiasm guides, and the retail outlets on the [[Chicago/Near North|Magnificent Mile]] also need seasonal help. And with so many colleges and universities in the city, study abroad opportunities abound.<br />
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In Chicago, business is politics, and there's one word in Chicago politics: '''clout'''. The principal measure of clout is how many jobs you can arrange for your friends. Hence, if you want to work in Chicago, start asking around — email someone from your country's embassy or consulate and see if they have any leads, or figure out if there is a cultural association that might be able to help you. It's no coincidence that the Mayor's Office [http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/home.do] employs scores of [[Ireland|Irish]] workers every summer. If you happen to contact somebody who met the right person at a fundraiser a few days ago, you might fall into a cushy job or a dream internship; it's worth a try.<br />
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==Buy==<br />
Whatever you need, you can buy it in Chicago, on a budget or in luxury. The most famous shopping street in Chicago is a stretch of Michigan Avenue known as '''The Magnificent Mile''', in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] area. It includes many designer boutiques, and several multi-story malls anchored by large department stores like 900 N Michigan and Water Tower Place. Additional brands are available from off-strip shops to the south and west of Michigan.<br />
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'''State Street''' used to be a great street for department stores in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], but it's now a shadow of its former self, with Carson Pirie Scott's landmark Louis Sullivan-designed building closed, and invading forces from [[New York City|New York]] holding the former Marshall Field's building hostage under the name Macy's. Discounts can still be found at places like Filene's Basement, though.<br />
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For a classic Chicago souvenir, pick up a box of '''Frango Mints''', much-loved mint chocolates that were originally offered by Marshall Field's and are still available at Macy's stores. Although no longer made in the thirteenth-floor kitchen of the State Street store, the original recipe appears to still be in use, which pleases the loyal crowds fond of the flavor — and too bad for anyone looking to avoid trans-fats.<br />
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However, for a more unique shopping experience, check out the fun, eclectic stores in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]], or the cutting-edge shops in [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] and [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], which is also the place to go for '''music fiends''' — although there are also key vinyl drops in other parts of the city as well. '''Southport''' in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] and '''Armitage''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] also have browser-friendly fashion boutiques.<br />
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For '''art''' or '''designer home goods''', River North is the place to go. Centered between the Merchandise Mart and the Chicago Avenue Brown Line &quot;L&quot; stop in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], River North's gallery district boasts the largest arts and design district in North America outside of Manhattan. The entire area is walkable and makes for fun window-shopping.<br />
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Goods from around the world are available at the '''import stores''' in Chicago's many ethnic neighborhoods; check [[Chicago#Ethnic_neighborhoods|See]] for descriptions and district articles for directions.<br />
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If you are the type that loves to browse through '''independent bookstores''', [[Chicago/Hyde Park#Buy|Hyde Park]] has a stunning assortment of dusty used bookstores selling beat-up-paperbacks to rare 17th century originals, and the world's largest academic bookstore. '''Printer's Row''' in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] is also a great stop for book lovers.<br />
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==Eat==<br />
[[Image:Chicago deep dish pizza.jpg|thumb|240px|print=inline|Chicago's deep dish pizza is incredible]]<br />
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Chicago is one of the great restaurant towns in America. If you're looking for a specific kind of cuisine, check out the [[Chicago#Ethnic_neighborhoods|neighborhoods]]. [[Chicago/Near West Side|Greektown]], the [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Devon Ave]] Desi corridor, [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Chinatown]], and [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham]]'s soul food and barbecue are just the tip of the iceberg. Other areas are more eclectic: [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]] and Albany Park have unrivaled Middle Eastern, German, and Korean food, while [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]] offers nearly the whole [[Southeast Asia]]n continent with Ghanaian, Nigerian, contemporary American, stylish Japanese, and down-home Swedish a few blocks away. <br />
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If you're interested in celebrity chefs and unique creations, [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] and [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] have plenty of award-winners. [[Chicago/Near North|River North]] has several good upscale restaurants, but don't waste your time on tourist traps like Rainforest Cafe, Cheesecake Factory, or the Hard Rock Cafe. In fact, you should never submit to standing in line — there are always equally good restaurants nearby. No matter what you enjoy, you'll have a chance to eat well in Chicago, and you won't need to spend a lot of money doing it — unless you want to, of course.<br />
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But while Chicago has a world class dining scene downtown, it is the low-end where it truly distinguishes itself. No other city on earth takes fast food so seriously; for those who don't concern themselves with calorie counting, Chicago is cheap, greasy heaven. Head northwest and you'll find sausage shops and old-style Polish restaurants that carry on as if health food and celebrity chefs never happened in '''Jackowo'''- [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Chicago's Polish Village]], as well as at [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Belmont-Central]]- an Eastern European culinary heaven. Quite a few other local &quot;culinary specialties&quot; in particular deserve further description.<br />
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===Chicago pizza===<br />
Chicago's most prominent contribution to world cuisine might be the '''deep dish pizza'''. Delivery chains as far away as [[Kyoto]] market &quot;Chicago-style pizza,&quot; but the only place to be sure you're getting the real thing is in Chicago. To make a deep dish pizza, a thin layer of dough is laid into a deep round pan and pulled up the sides, and then meats and vegetables — Italian sausage, onions, bell peppers, mozzarella cheese, and more — are lined on the crust. At last, tomato sauce goes on top, and the pizza is baked. It's gooey, messy, not recommended by doctors, and delicious. When you dine on deep dish pizza, don't wear anything you were hoping to wear again soon. Some nationally-known deep dish pizza hubs are Pizzeria UNO and DUE, Gino's East, Giordano's, and Lou Malnati's, but plenty of local favorites exist. Ask around — people won't be shy about giving you their opinion.<br />
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But deep dish is not the end of the line in a city that takes its pizza so seriously. Chicago also prides itself on its distinctive thin-crust pizza and stuffed pizzas. The Chicago '''thin crust''' has a thin, cracker-like, crunchy crust, which somehow remains soft and doughy on the top side. Toppings and a lot of a thin, spiced Italian tomato sauce go under the mozzarella cheese, and the pizza is sliced into squares. If you are incredulous that Chicago's pizza preeminence extends into the realm of the thin crust, head [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Mid-range|south of Midway]] to Vito and Nick's, which is widely regarded among local gourmands as the standard bearer for the city.<br />
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The '''stuffed pizza''' is a monster, enough to make an onlooker faint. Start with the idea of a deep dish, but then find a much deeper dish and stuff a ''lot'' more toppings under the cheese. Think deep-dish apple pie, but pizza. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for pizza places to make one of these and allow 3-4 extra notches on your belt for the ensuing weight gain. Arguably the best stuffed pizza in town is at Bella Bacino's in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], which somehow is not greasy, but other excellent vendors include Giordano's, Gino's, and Edwardo's.<br />
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===The Chicago hot dog===<br />
[[Image:Chicago hot dog.jpg|thumb|260px|print=inline|A charred Chicago-style hot dog with all the trappings]]<br />
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This may come as a surprise to New Yorkers, but the Chicago hot dog is the king of all hot dogs — indeed, it is considered the '''perfect hot dog'''. Perhaps due to the city's history of Polish and German immigration, Chicago takes its dogs ''way'' more seriously than the rest of the country. A Chicago hot dog is always all-beef (usually Vienna beef), always served on a poppy-seed bun, and topped with what looks like a full salad of mustard, diced tomatoes, a dill pickle spear, sport (chili) peppers, a generous sprinkling of celery salt, diced onion, and a sweet-pickle relish endemic-to-Chicago that is dyed an odd, vibrant bright-green color. It's a full meal, folks.<br />
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Ketchup is regarded as an abomination on a proper Chicago-style hot dog. Self-respecting establishments will refuse orders to put the ketchup on the dog, and many have signs indicating that they don't serve it; truly serious hot dog joints don't even allow the condiment on the premises. The reason for Chicago's ketchup aversion is simple — ketchup contains sugar, which overwhelms the taste of the beef and prevents its proper enjoyment. Hence, ketchup's replacement with diced tomatoes. Similarly, Chicagoans eschew fancy mustards that would overwhelm the flavor of the meat in favor of simple yellow mustard. And for the hungry visiting New Yorkers, the same goes for sugary sauerkraut — ''just no''.<br />
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At most hot dog places, you will have the option to try a '''Maxwell Street Polish''' instead. Born on the eponymous street of the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]], the Polish is an all-beef sausage on a bun, with fewer condiments than the Chicago hot dog: usually just grilled onions, mustard, and a few chili peppers.<br />
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In a tragic, bizarre twist of fate, the areas of Chicago most visited by tourists (i.e., [[Chicago/Loop|the Loop]]) lack proper Chicago hot dog establishments. If you are downtown and want to experience a Chicago hot dog done right, the nearest safe bet is [[Chicago/Near North#Eat|Portillo's]]. Although, if you're up for a little hot dog adventure, you can eat one right at the source, at the [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town#Budget|Vienna Beef Factory deli]]. Sadly, both baseball parks botch their dogs, although the 2011 return of Vienna Beef as the official hot dog of Wrigley Field is a step in the right direction.<br />
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===Italian Beef===<br />
The Italian Beef sandwich completes the Chicago triumvirate of tasty greasy treats. The main focus of the sandwich is the beef, and serious vendors will serve meat of a surprisingly good quality, which is slow-roasted, and thinly shaved before being loaded generously onto chewy, white, Italian-style bread. Two sets of options will come flying at you, so prepare yourself: sweet peppers or hot, and dipped or not. The &quot;sweet&quot; peppers are sautéed bell peppers, while the hots are a mixed Chicago giardiniera. The dip, of course, is a sort of French dip of the sandwich back into the beef broth. (Warning: dipped Italian Beefs are sloppy!) If you are in the mood, you may be able to get an Italian Beef with cheese melted over the beef, although travelers looking for the &quot;authentic Italian Beef&quot; perhaps should not stray so far from tradition. <br />
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The Italian Beef probably was invented by Italian-American immigrants working in the Union Stockyards on the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]], who could only afford to take home the tough, lowest-quality meat and therefore had a need to slow-roast it, shave it into thin slices, and dip it just to get it in chewable form. But today the sandwich has found a lucrative home downtown, where it clogs the arteries and delights the taste buds of the Chicago workforce during lunch break. Some of the city's favorite downtown vendors include Luke's Italian Beef in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and Mr. Beef in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], while the Portillo's chain is another solid option.<br />
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{{infobox|Four fried chickens and a coke...|With the Great Migration came much of what was best about the South: blues, jazz, barbecue — but following a legendary meal at which a young, hungry Harold Pierce saw the last piece of bird flee his grasp into the mouth of the local preacher, Harold made it his mission to add fried chicken to that prestigious list, and to ensure that no South Side Chicagoan ever run out. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Harold's Chicken Shack, a.k.a. the Fried Chicken King, is a South Side institution like no other. The Chicago-style fried chicken is considered by many connoisseurs to be some of the nation's best (certainly in the North), and it is fried in a home-style mix of beef tallow and vegetable oil, then covered with sauce (hot or mild). Crucially, it is always cooked to order — ensuring that essential layer of grease between the skin and the meat. A half chicken meal can come as cheap as $4 and includes coleslaw, white bread, and sauce-drenched fries — make like a local and wrap the fries in the bread. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Initially, the fried chicken chain spread throughout black neighborhoods, which were ignored by other fast food chains, but in later years the franchise has extended its greasy fingers to the West and North Sides, as well as downtown. While chances are you will not find better fried chicken outside of Harold's walls, the quality, pricing, and character vary between individual locations. Your safest bets are on the South Side — if you are served through bullet-proof glass under signs bearing a chef chasing a chicken with a hatchet, rest assured you are getting the best.}}<br />
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==Drink==<br />
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Chicago is a drinking town, and you can find bars and pubs in every part of the city. It is believed that Chicago has the second highest bars-per-capita in the U.S. (after [[San Francisco]]). Be prepared to be asked for identification to verify your age, even at neighborhood dive bars. '''Smoking''' is banned in Chicago bars (and restaurants). <br />
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The best places to drink for drinking's sake are [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] and neighboring [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan Square and Bucktown]], which have a world-class stock of quality dive bars and local craft breweries. [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|North Center]] and Roscoe Village are also a great (and underrated) destination for the art of the beer garden. Beware the bars in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] near Wrigley Field, though, which are packed on weekends, and jam-packed all day whenever the Cubs are playing. Just to the south, [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] has bars and beer gardens to indulge those who miss college, and some trendy clubs for the neighborhood's notorious high-spending Trixies. <br />
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Ill-informed tourists converge upon the nightclubs of [[Chicago/Near North|Rush and Division St]]. The city's best DJs spin elsewhere, the best drinks are served elsewhere, and the cheapest beers are served elsewhere; the hottest of-the-moment clubs and in-the-know celebrities are usually elsewhere, too. For the last few years the [[Chicago/Near West Side|West Loop's]] warehouse bars were the place to be, but more recently the River North neighborhood has been making a comeback. Still, the Rush/Division bars do huge business. This area includes the &quot;Viagra Triangle,&quot; where Chicago's wealthy older men hang out with women in their early 20s. Streeterville, immediately adjacent, exchanges the dance floors for high-priced hotel bars and piano lounges.<br />
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Although good dance music can be found in Wicker Park and the surrounding area, the best places to dance in the city are the expensive see and be seen clubs in River North and the open-to-all (except perhaps bachelorette parties) clubs in gay-friendly [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Boystown]], which are a lot of fun for people of any sexual orientation.<br />
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===Jazz and Blues===<br />
{{web|''See [[The_Jazz_Track#Day_5_.28Saturday.29:_Visiting_Chicago|The Jazz Track]] for a wealth of information about current and historic jazz clubs in Chicago.''}}<br />
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The Lower Mississippi River Valley is known for its music; [[New Orleans]] has jazz, and [[Memphis]] has blues. Chicago, though located far away from the valley, has both. Former New Orleans and Memphis residents brought jazz and blues to Chicago as they came north for a variety of reasons: the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 brought a lot of itinerant musicians to town, and the city's booming economy kept them coming through the [[Chicago#African-American history|Great Migration]]. Chicago was the undisputed capital of early jazz between 1917-1928, wih masters like Joe King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Noone, Johnny Dodds, Earl Hines, and Jelly Roll Morton. Most of Chicago's historic jazz clubs are on the South Side, particularly in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], but the North Side has the can't-miss '''Green Mill''' in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]. <br />
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The blues were in Chicago long before the car chase and the mission from God, but ''The Blues Brothers'' sealed Chicago as the home of the blues in the popular consciousness. Fortunately, the city has the chops to back that up. '''Maxwell Street''' [http://maxwellstreet.org] ([[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]) was the heart and soul of Chicago blues, but the wrecking ball, driven by the University of Illinois at Chicago, has taken a brutal toll. Residents have been fighting to save what remains. For blues history, it doesn't get much better than '''Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation''' ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]), and [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], the former &quot;Black Metropolis,&quot; is a key stop as well. Performance venues run the gamut from tiny, cheap blues bars all over the city to big, expensive places like '''Buddy Guy's Legends''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]) and the original '''House of Blues''' ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]).<br />
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But don't let yourself get ''too'' wrapped up in the past, because Chicago blues is anything but. No other city in the world can compete with Chicago's long list of blues-soaked neighborhood dives and lounges. The North Side's blues clubs favor tradition in their music, and are usually the most accessible to visitors, but offer a slightly watered down experience from the funkier, more authentic blues bars on the South and Far West Sides, where most of Chicago's blues musicians live and hang. If one club could claim to be the home of the real Chicago blues, '''Lee's Unleaded Blues''' in [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]] would probably win the title. But there are scores of worthy blues joints all around the city (many of which are a lot easier to visit via public transport). A visit to one of these off-the-beaten-path blues dives is considerably more adventurous than a visit to the touristy House of Blues, but the experiences born of such adventures have been known to reward visitors with a life-long passion for the blues.<br />
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Although playing second fiddle to the blues in the city's collective consciousness, jazz thrives in Chicago, too, thanks in no small part to members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and their residencies at clubs like '''The Velvet Lounge''' and '''The Jazz Showcase''' (both of which see regular national acts) ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]), '''The New Apartment Lounge''' ([[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]]) and '''The Hideout''' ([[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]]), with more expensive national touring acts downtown at '''The Chicago Theater''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]). If you are staying downtown, the Velvet Lounge will be your best bet, as it is an easy cab ride, and its high-profile performances will rarely disappoint.<br />
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Fans should time their visits to coincide with '''Blues Fest''' in June, and '''Jazz Fest''' over Labor Day Weekend. Both take place in Grant Park ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]).<br />
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===Concerts===<br />
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[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] and [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] are the main place to go for indie rock shows: the '''Double Door''' and the '''Empty Bottle''' are the best-known venues, but there are plenty of smaller ones as well. In [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], the '''Metro''' is a beloved concert hole, with '''Schubas''', '''Lincoln Hall''', '''The Vic''', and the '''Abbey Pub''' nearby (the latter on the [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]]). Other mid-sized rock, hip-hop and R&amp;B shows take place at the '''Riviera''' and the awesome '''Aragon Ballroom''' in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]. The [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] has become an underrated destination for great shows as well.<br />
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[[Image:Chicago theater.jpg|thumb|240px|The legendary Chicago Theater]]<br />
The '''Park West''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] has light jazz, light rock, and other shows you'd sit down for; so does '''Navy Pier''' ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]), particularly in the summer. The venerable '''Chicago Theater''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] is better-known for its sign than for anything else, but it has rock, jazz, gospel, and spoken-word performances by authors like David Sedaris. The world-renowned '''Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO)''' is the main bulwark in the city for classical and classy jazz, with occasional curve-balls like Björk. You'll find musicians from the CSO doing outreach all over the city, along with their counterparts at the '''Lyric Opera'''. Both are in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]].<br />
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A few big concerts are held at the '''UIC Pavilion''', the '''Congress Theater''', and the '''United Center''' on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] every year, and some ''huge'' concerts have taken place at '''Soldier Field''' ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]). The '''Petrillo Bandshell''' in '''Grant Park''' and the '''Pritzker Pavilion''' in '''Millennium Park''', both in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], tend to host big, eclectic shows and festivals in the summer, which are sometimes free. <br />
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Otherwise, most big shows are out in the suburbs, primarily at the '''Allstate Arena''' and the '''Rosemont Theater''' in [[Rosemont]], the '''Sears Centre''' in Hoffman Estates, the '''First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre''' in Tinley Park, '''Star Plaza''' in [[Indiana]], and the '''Alpine Valley Music Theater''' over the [[Wisconsin]] border. You'll also have to head out to the suburbs for '''Ravinia''', which features upscale classical, jazz, and blues outdoors throughout the summer. {{web|See [[Chicagoland]] for details on suburban venues.}}<br />
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==Sleep==<br />
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&lt;!-- do not put individual listings here - put them on the page for the district where they are located --&gt;<br />
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Chicago hosts many major conventions each year and has plenty of places to stay. The majority are either at [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare Airport]] or downtown in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] (near the Magnificent Mile). If you want to explore the city, aim for downtown — a hotel near O'Hare is good for visiting one thing and one thing only, and that's O'Hare. However, if you have a specific interest in mind, there are hotels throughout the city, and getting away from downtown will give you more of a sense of other neighborhoods. You'll appreciate that if you're in town for more than a couple of days. Make sure that where you're staying is within your comfort level before committing to stay there, though. More far flung transient hotels will be suitable for those seeking to relive Jack Kerouac's seedy adventures around the country, but may alarm and disgust the average traveler.<br />
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Budget-priced places are usually pretty far from the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], so when you're booking, remember that Chicago is vast. Travelers on a budget should consider accommodations away from the city center which can be easily reached via any of the several CTA train lines. There is a [[hostel]] in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and two others near the universities in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]], all of which are interesting neighborhoods in their own right, and close to the L for access to the rest of the city. For deals on mid-range hotels, there are good options far out from the center by [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Sleep|Midway]] and in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|North Lincoln]].<br />
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==Contact==<br />
===Internet===<br />
The first Internet cafe in the United States was opened in Chicago, but they never really caught on here. There are still a few, though; check individual district articles. If you have a computer with you, free wireless Internet access is now standard-issue at coffee shops throughout the city including major ones like Starbucks. Most hotels above the transient level offer free Wi-Fi, too.<br />
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The good news is that all branches of the '''Chicago Public Library''' system offer '''free internet access''', via public terminals and free, password-free, public wireless. If you do not have a Chicago library card, but you have a photo ID that shows you do not live in Chicago, you can get a temporary permit from the library information desk. (If you ''are'' from Chicago and don't have a library card, though, all you can get is a stern look and a brief lecture on how Chicagoans need to support the library system.) The most centrally located branch is the giant '''Harold Washington Library''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], but there are branch libraries in every part of the city — again, see individual district articles. Only Harold Washington and the two regional libraries ([[Chicago/North Lincoln|Sulzer]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Woodson]]) are open on Sundays.<br />
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===Telephones===<br />
'''312''' was the area code for all of Chicago for a long time; it's still the code of choice for the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and most of the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] and [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]. '''773''' surrounds the center, covering everything else within city limits.<br />
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Suburban areas close to the city use '''847''' (north/northwest), '''708''' (south), '''815''' (southwest), and '''630''' (west).<br />
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==Stay safe==<br />
[[Image:Chicago violent crime map 05-08.png|thumb|350px|Violent crime rates by neighborhood]]<br />
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As in almost the entire United States, dial '''911''' to get emergency help. Dial '''311''' for all non-emergency situations in Chicago.<br />
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Despite a big decline in the crime rate from the 1970s and 1980s, Chicago is still a big city with big city problems. There are run-down areas within a few blocks of some well-traveled places such as near the United Center and US Cellular Field. The majority of the city's violent crimes occur within a relatively small number of neighborhoods well off the beaten path in the South and West Sides, but given the chance nature of crime, you should exercise the usual precautions wherever you go. Even in a neighborhood with a bad reputation, though, you might still have a perfectly good time, as long as it falls within your comfort level.<br />
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Take caution in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] at night; after working hours, the Loop gets quiet and dark in a hurry west of State Street, but you'll be fine near hotels and close to Michigan Avenue and the lake. When disembarking a crowded CTA train, especially in the downtown-area subways, be wary of purse snatchers.<br />
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Beggars are common [[Chicago/Loop|downtown]]. They are very unlikely to pose any kind of problem, though. Some sell a local newspaper called ''Streetwise'' to make a living.<br />
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&lt;!--PRINT<br />
[[Image:Chicago violent crime map 05-08 print.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
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In general, common sense will keep you safe in Chicago: avoid unfamiliar side streets at night, stay out of alleys at night, know where you're going when you set out, stick to crowded areas, and keep a $20 bill on hand for cab fare as a bail-out option. <br />
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Dress appropriately for the weather. Chicago's winter is famously windy and cold, so cover exposed skin and wear layers in the winter, but heat exhaustion is an equal risk in the summer months, especially July and August. Stay off the road during a snowstorm. Chicago's streets and sanitation department generally does a good job clearing the major roads in the center of the city, but the neighborhoods can take longer, and the construction-littered expressways are anyone's guess.<br />
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==Cope==<br />
===Publications===<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Tribune&quot; alt=&quot;The Trib&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagotribune.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Tribune is Chicago's oldest daily, recently converted into a tabloid format for newsstand purchases. New ownership has shed much of the Trib's former prestige with a debt-leveraged purchase and forced bankruptcy, widespread staff layoffs, and an ill-advised redesign.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Sun-Times&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://suntimes.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Sun-Times is Chicago's other &quot;major&quot; newspaper. It has a long-standing reputation for aggressive (some might say &quot;sensationalist&quot;) investigative journalism. It has also been teetering on the verge of oblivion for some time, but at least it has Roger Ebert.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Redeye&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://redeyechicago.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Redeye is a free weekdays-only newspaper produced by the Tribune. Although its covers appear to report from some parallel universe where topics like sandwiches and being tired at work are the top stories of the day, it does have basic news coverage inside along with entertainment gossip.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Defender&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagodefender.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Defender is Chicago's biggest African-American daily, and it played a major role in the city's African-American history. Its distribution network today is comparatively small, though.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Hola Hoy&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://hoyinternet.com/noticias/localidades/chicago/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Hola Hoy produces a free Spanish-language newspaper with wide distribution.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Reader&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagoreader.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Reader is a free weekly newspaper distributed throughout the city each Wednesday. It includes extensive listings of arts, music, and events. Nobody knows more about Chicago than the Reader, but it's definitely oriented toward locals.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Crain's Chicago Business&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagobusiness.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; Crain's is a long-standing weekly newspaper covering the Chicago area business community, with a dash of politics and lifestyle — definitely worth a look if you're in town on business.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;New City&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://newcitychicago.com/chicago&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;New City is a free weekly alternative arts and entertainment magazine, distributed every Wednesday. Event listings and local content are skimpy, but it is free.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Time Out Chicago&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://timeoutchicago.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Time Out produces a weekly magazine available at most newsstands and bookstores. Its listings for events, bars, and restaurants are by far the most comprehensive and easiest to use for visitors to the city.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Windy City Times&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://windycitytimes.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Free weekly LGBT newspaper.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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===Religious services===<br />
[[Image:Willmette how.jpg|thumb|300px|The spectacular Bahá'í Temple]]<br />
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There are places of worship all over the city; the front desk of your hotel will almost certainly be able to direct you to one nearby. If not, though, the following are centrally located in either the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] or the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], unless otherwise noted.<br />
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For churches of specific Orthodoxies, check in neighborhoods that feature communities with ties to that region. There's a majestic Orthodox church in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]], for example. Evangelical Christian ministries are mostly on the South Side, with some historic churches in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]. For the Baha'i faith, visit the '''Baha'i Temple''' in [[Wilmette]], easily accessible by the CTA Purple Line.<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Belmont Red Line&quot; address=&quot;540 W Melrose St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 248-9200&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://asbi.org/&quot;&gt; Modern Orthodox Judaism. In a remarkably beautiful building by the lake. Shacharit Su 8:30AM, M,Th 6:45AM, Tu,W,F 7AM; Mincha Su-Th 7:45PM. &lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Armitage Baptist Church&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Logan Square Blue Line&quot; address=&quot; 2451 N Kedzie Blvd.&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 384-4673&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://armitagechurch.org/&quot;&gt;Sunday worship 9:30, 11AM, and 6PM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4N739 IL Route 59, Bartlett&quot; phone=&quot;+1 630 213 2277&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;Free&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.baps.org/Introduction/Introduction.htm&quot;&gt; Everyday worship 11:30 AM Aarti.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago's Central Synagogue&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;15 W Delaware Place&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-0450 &quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://centralchicago.org/&quot;&gt; Conservative Judaism. Shabbat services Sa 9:15AM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Loop Synagogue&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Madison/Wabash Brown/Purple/Green/Orange/Pink Line&quot; address=&quot;16 S Clark St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 346-7370&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagoloopsynagogue.org/index.asp&quot;&gt; Traditional Judaism. Shachris Sa 9AM, Su 9:30AM; Mincha Sa 3:45PM, Su 4:15PM, M-F 1:05PM; Maariv 4:45PM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Sinai Congregation&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;15 W Delaware Pl&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 867-7000&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagosinai.org/&quot;&gt; Liberal Reform Judaism. Torah study Sa 10:30AM; Shabbat Eve service F 6:15PM, Sunday service 11AM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Downtown Islamic Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Jackson Red Line&quot; address=&quot;231 S State St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 939-9095&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://dic-chicago.org/&quot;&gt; Open M-F 10:30AM-5:30PM. Friday prayers: Khutba 1:05PM / Aqama 1:30PM (1st Friday Jamaa), Khutba 2:05PM / Aqama 2:30PM (2nd Friday Jamaa).&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10915 Lemont Rd, Lemont, IL&quot; phone=&quot;+1 630 972-0300&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;M-F 10AM-8PM&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://htgc.org/test/index.php?option=com_frontpage&amp;Itemid=1&quot;&gt; 25 miles southwest of Chicago. Call temple to schedule priest services.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Holy Name Cathedral&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;735 N State St&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://holynamecathedral.org/&quot; hours=&quot;Open for private prayer or reflection from 5:30AM-7PM&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Flagship of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Sunday Masses at 7:00, 8:15, 9:30 (incl. sign language), 11:00 AM, and 12:30, 5:15 PM. See website for Saturday, weekdays, and Holy Days schedules, as well as other sacraments.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Saint James Cathedral&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;65 E Huron St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-7360&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://saintjamescathedral.org/&quot;&gt; Episcopalian services. Office hours M-F 9AM-4PM. Eucharist Su 8AM,10:30AM, W 5:30PM, Th,F 12:10PM&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
&lt;!--WEB-START--&gt;<br />
<br />
===Foreign consulates===<br />
<br />
Here's a quick list of foreign consulates in Chicago:<br />
{| <br />
|-<br />
| style=&quot;vertical-align:top;width:50%;&quot; |<br />
* [[Image:ar-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Argentina &quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave, #4208/9&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 819-2610&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 819-2604 url=&quot;http://embassyofargentina.us/espanol/consuladosargentinoseneeuu/consuladosargentinoseneeuuchicago.htm&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;hrgcchic@aol.com&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 819-2612&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:as-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Australia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;123 N Wacker Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 419-1480&quot; email=&quot;chicago@dfat.gov.au&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 419-1499&quot; url=&quot;http://usa.embassy.gov.au/whwh/ChicagoCG.html&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:au-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Austria&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 222-1516&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:bf-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bahamas&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;8600 W Bryn Mawr Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 693-1500&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:be-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Belgium (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1703 N Randall Rd, Elgin&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 214-4670&quot; email=&quot;paulvanhalteren@sbcglobal.net&quot; fax=&quot;+1 847 787-5486&quot; url=&quot;http://diplobel.us/Representatives/Find_Consul.asp&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:bl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bolivia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1111 Superior St, #309&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 343-1234&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Melrose Park]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:bk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;151 E Chicago Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 951-1245&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:br-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Brazil&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;401 N Michigan Ave, #1850&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 464-0244&quot; email=&quot;central@brazilconsulatechicago.org&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 464-0299&quot; url=&quot;http://portalconsular.mre.gov.br/clientes/portalconsular/portalconsular/mundo/america-do-norte/estados-unidos-da-america/chicago&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:bu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bulgaria&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #2105&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 867-1904&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ca-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Canada&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;Two Prudential Plaza, 180 N Stetson Ave, #2400&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 616-1860&quot; url=&quot;http://canadainternational.gc.ca/chicago/index.aspx?lang=eng&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;chcgo@international.gc.ca&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 616-1878&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ci-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Chile&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #3352&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 654-8780&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ch-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;China&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;100 E Erie St, #500&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 803-0095&quot; url=&quot;http://chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:co-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Colombia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 923-1196&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:cs-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Costa Rica&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;203 N Wabash Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 263-2772&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:hr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Croatia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #1030&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 482-9902&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ez-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Czech Republic&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 861-1037&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:da-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Denmark&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave Ste 3950&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-8780&quot; email=&quot;ordhkt@um.dk&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 787-8744&quot; url=&quot;http://gkchicago.um.dk/en&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:dr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Dominican Republic&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;3228 W N Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 236-2447&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ec-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ecuador&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;30 S Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 338-1002&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:eg-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Egypt&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave, #1900&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 828-9162&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:es-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;El Salvador&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;104 S Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 332-1393&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:en-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Estonia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;410 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 595-2527&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:fi-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Finland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;362 E Burlington St, #2&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 442-0635&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Riverside]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:fr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;France&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-5359&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Germany&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;676 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 202-0480&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Greece&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;650 N Saint Clair St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 335-3915&quot; email=&quot;chicago@greekembassy.org&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 335-3958&quot; url=&quot;http://mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/AuthoritiesAbroad/North+America/USA/GeneralConsulateChicago/en-US/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gt-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Guatemala&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave #2350&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+ 1 312 332 1587&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:ha-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Haiti&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;220 S State St, #2110&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 922-4004&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ho-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Honduras&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4506 W Fullerton Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 342-8281&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:hu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Hungary&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-4079&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:in-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;India&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;455 N Cityfront Plaza Dr, NBC Tower Bldg Ste 850&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 595-0405&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 595-0409&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.indianconsulate.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:id-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Indonesia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;211 W Wacker Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 920-1880&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ei-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ireland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 337-1868&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 337-1954 &quot; url=&quot;http://irishconsulate.org&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:is-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Israel&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;111 E Wacker Dr, #1308&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 297-4800&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:it-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Italy&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 467-1550&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:jm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Jamaica&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4655 S Martin Luther King Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 373-8988&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
| style=&quot;vertical-align:top;width:50%;&quot; |<br />
* [[Image:ja-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Japan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #1100&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 280-0430&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:jo-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Jordan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;12559 S Holiday Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 272-6666&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; ([[Alsip]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ks-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Republic of Korea&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;455 N Cityfront Plaza Dr, #2700&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 822-0443&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lg-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Latvia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;3239 Arnold Ln&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 498-6880&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Northbrook]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lh-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Lithuania&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;211 E Ontario St, #1500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 397-0382&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Luxembourg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1417 Braeborn Ct&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 520-5995&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Wheeling (Illinois)|Wheeling]])&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:my-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Malaysia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #4101&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 280-9632&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:mx-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Mexico&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;204 S Ashland Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 738-2531&quot; url=&quot;http://consulmexchicago.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:FlagOfMontenegro.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Montenegro&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;201 E Ohio St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-6707&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:np-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Nepal&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;100 W Monroe St, #500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 263-1250&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:nl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Netherlands&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;303 E Wacker Dr Ste 2600&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 856-0110&quot; tollfree=&quot;+1 877-DUTCHHELP&quot; email=&quot;chi@minbuza.nl&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 856-9218&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.the-netherlands.org/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:nz-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;New Zealand (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;8600 W Bryn Mawr Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 714-9461&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 773 714-9483&quot; url=&quot;http://nzembassy.com/united-states-of-america/about-the-embassy/contact-us/nz-honorary-consuls&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:no-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Norway&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;900 Lively Blvd&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 364-7374&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; ([[Elk Grove]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Pakistan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;333 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 781-1831&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Panama&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;9048 S Commercial Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 933-0395&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:rp-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Philippines&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;30 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 332-6458&quot; email=&quot;chicagopcg@sbcglobal.net&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 332-3657&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagopcg.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pe-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Peru&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Michigan Ave, #1800&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 782-1599&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Poland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;820 N Orleans St, #335&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 337-8166&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:po-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Portugal (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1955 N New England Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 889-7405&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 493-2433&quot; url=&quot;http://un.int/portugal/visainfo.htm&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ro-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Romania&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 573-1315&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:Flag_of_Serbia_(state).png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Serbia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;201 E Ohio St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-6707&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sn-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Singapore&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10 South Dearborn St, #4800&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 853-7555&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sf-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;South Africa&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;200 S Michigan Ave, #600&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 939-7929&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 939-2588&quot; url=&quot;http://sachicago.pwpsystems.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sp-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Spain&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Michigan Ave, #1500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 782-4588&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sw-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Sweden&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;150 N Michigan Ave, #1951&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 781-6262&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sz-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Switzerland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #2301&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 915-0061&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 915-0061&quot; email=&quot;chi.vertretung@eda.admin.ch&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 915-0388&quot; url=&quot;http://eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/nameri/vusa/chicon.html&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:tw-flag.PNG|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Taiwan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Stetson Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 616-0100&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:th-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Thailand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;700 N Rush St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 644-3129&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:tu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Turkey&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;360 N Michigan Ave, #1405&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 621-3340&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:up-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ukraine&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10 E Huron St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 642-3129&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:uk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;United Kingdom&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave, #1300&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 970-3800&quot; url=&quot;http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/other-locations/chicago/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:uy-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Uruguay&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #1422&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 642-3430&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ve-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Venezuela&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;20 N Wacker Dr, #750&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 236-9655&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
|}<br />
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<br />
==Get out==<br />
===Illinois===<br />
* There are forest preserves in the far north, northwest, and southwest sides, and into the nearby [[Chicagoland]] suburbs. They are excellent for biking, jogging, and picnics.<br />
<br />
* [[Evanston]] is over the northern border of Chicago, approximately 45 minutes from downtown on the CTA, or half an hour via car (during light traffic). It has shops, restaurants, bars and Northwestern University, as well as some historic homes and lovely lakefront. Just beyond that is [[Wilmette]], with the fascinating '''Baha'i Temple'''.<br />
<br />
* [[Chicagoland#Lake_County|Ravinia]] is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Metra's UP-North line stops at the park gates, and the return train waits for late-ending concerts. The arts and crafts style architecture coupled with a dazzling array of acts make this a classic summer destination for Chicagoans and tourists. Bring food, a blanket, wine, and a citronella candle; buy anything you forgot on-site.<br />
<br />
* [[Brookfield (Illinois)|Brookfield]] is home to the Chicagoland area's other world-class zoo, the '''Brookfield Zoo'''.<br />
<br />
* Historic [[Galena (Illinois)|Galena]], three hours west-northwest of Chicago via I-90 and US-20, is great for hiking, sightseeing, and antiquing.<br />
<br />
* '''Six Flags Great America''', in [[Gurnee]] (40 miles north on I-94), has the biggest and wildest roller coasters in Illinois.<br />
<br />
* [[Peoria (Illinois)|Peoria]], in some ways a miniature Chicago, is a little over three hours away.<br />
<br />
* The [[Quad Cities]] — about 2.5&amp;ndash;3 hours away via I-55 to I-80 or I-90 to I-74 — bridge the Mississippi River forming a unique metropolitan area on the border of [[Iowa]] and Illinois.<br />
<br />
===Indiana===<br />
<br />
* The [[Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore|Indiana Dunes]] are a moderate drive away, and are also accessible via the South Shore commuter rail. If you've enjoyed the beaches in Chicago, you owe the Indiana Dunes a stop — that's where all the sand came from.<br />
<br />
* [[Gary]] is just over the border on the Skyway, with a skyline that rivals Chicago's for strength of effect — industrial monstrosity, in this case — with casinos, urban ruins, and a few entries by Prairie School architects Frank Lloyd Wright and George Maher.<br />
<br />
* Also just over the Skyway (before you reach Gary) is [[East Chicago|East Chicago's]] bizarre 19th century planned community, '''Marktown''', which looks like a small [[England|English]] village totally incongruous with the gigantic steel mills and the world's largest oil refinery which surround it.<br />
<br />
===Michigan===<br />
<br />
* Further along the lake from the Indiana Dunes are Michigan's dunes and summer resorts in [[Harbor Country]]. Keep your eyes open: Mayor Daley, University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer, and other notables summer here.<br />
<br />
* [[Detroit]] has many of Chicago's most hated sports rivals, and although fallen on hard times, it also has a musical and architectural heritage to compare with the Windy City.<br />
<br />
===Wisconsin===<br />
<br />
* [[Lake Geneva (Wisconsin)|Lake Geneva]], across the [[Wisconsin]] border, is the other big summer getaway. Nearby are the Kettle Moraine state parks, with good mountain biking.<br />
<br />
* [[Madison (Wisconsin)|Madison]] is located about two and half hours from Chicago on I-90 and via Van Galder buses. It is a vibrant city home to the giant University of Wisconsin and is known for its lively downtown, thriving culture, and beautiful scenery.<br />
<br />
* [[Milwaukee]] and its venerable breweries are less than two hours from Chicago on I-94, via Amtrak, and by intercity bus services.<br />
<br />
* [[Spring Green]] is an easy weekend trip from Chicago, about three and a half hours from town on I-90. It's the home of two unique architectural wonders: Frank Lloyd Wright's magnificent estate '''Taliesin''', and Alex Jordan's mysterious museum '''The House on the Rock'''.<br />
<br />
* The [[Wisconsin_Dells|Wisconsin Dells]] are another (wet) summer fun destination, just three hours north of the city by car (I-90/94), also accessible by Amtrak train.<br />
<br />
*[[Cedarburg]] is a popular festival town with a charming downtown featured on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located 20 miles north of downtown Milwaukee. Take 1-94 to Milwaukee and continue north on I-43.<br />
<br />
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{{related|Chicago_skyline_guide}}<br />
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<br />
[[WikiPedia:Chicago, Illinois]]<br />
[[wts:category:Chicago]]<br />
[[Dmoz:North_America/United_States/Illinois/Localities/C/Chicago/]]<br />
[[wikevent:Chicago]]<br />
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&lt;!--WEB-END--&gt;</div>132.160.54.160http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago&diff=1661143Chicago2011-04-14T01:47:43Z<p>132.160.54.160: See discussion page</p>
<hr />
<div>{{printDistricts}}<br />
[[Image:Skyline from Millenium Park.jpg|thumb|350px|print=lead|Chicago's skyline viewed from Millennium Park]]<br />
<br />
Chicago is where blues went electric and jazz found its swing. Comedy and cuisine adapted and were adopted again by the rest of America from this skyscraper metropolis. Hogbutchering and moonshining are gone, but the Second City hasn't lost its downhome charm.<br />
<br />
As the hub of the [[Midwest (United States of America)|Midwest]], Chicago is easy to find — its picturesque [[Chicago skyline guide|skyline]] calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and [[Loop Art Tour|public art]], and one of the finest collections of modern architecture in the world. <br />
<br />
With a wealth of iconic sights and neighborhoods to explore, there's enough diversity to keep a long trip fresh. Put on comfortable shoes and prepare to cover a lot of ground: the meaning of Chicago is only found in movement, through subways and archaic elevated tracks, in the pride of tired feet and eyes raised once more to the sky.<br />
&lt;br clear=&quot;all&quot; /&gt;<br />
&lt;!--PRINT<br />
[[Image:Chicago districts map print.png|print=inline]]<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
==Districts==<br />
<br />
Many visitors never make it past the attractions downtown, but you haven't truly seen Chicago until you have ventured out into the neighborhoods. Chicagoans understand their city by splitting it into large &quot;sides&quot; to the north, west, and south of the central business district (the Loop). Chicagoans also tend to identify strongly with their neighborhood, reflecting real differences in culture and place throughout the city. Rivalries between the North and South Sides run particularly deep, while people from the West Side are free agents in critical issues like baseball loyalty.<br />
<br />
{{Regionlist|<br />
<br />
regionmap=Integrated Chicago districts map.png |<br />
regionmaptext=Districts of Chicago |<br />
regionmapsize=401px |<br />
<br />
region1name=Downtown |<br />
region1color=#b569b5 |<br />
region1items=[[Chicago/Loop|The Loop]], [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] |<br />
region1description=''The'' center of Chicago for work and play, with shopping, skyscrapers, big theaters, and the city's most famous travel sights |<br />
<br />
region2name=North Side |<br />
region2color=#a4a460 |<br />
region2items=[[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Boystown]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]] |<br />
region2description=Upscale neighborhoods with entertainment aplenty in storefront theaters and the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, along with a ''ton'' of bars and clubs, and one of the largest LGBT communities in the nation |<br />
<br />
region3name=South Side |<br />
region3color=#459745 |<br />
region3items=[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport-Chinatown]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]] |<br />
region3description= The historic Black Metropolis, brainy Hyde Park and the University of Chicago, Chinatown, the White Sox, soul food, and the real Chicago blues |<br />
<br />
region4name=West Side |<br />
region4color=#67b7b7 |<br />
region4items=[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan Square]], [[Chicago/Near West Side|Greektown]], [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] |<br />
region4description=Ethnic enclaves, dive bars, and hipsters abound on the fashionably rough side of town |<br />
<br />
region5name=Far North Side |<br />
region5color=#487db8 |<br />
region5items=[[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]], [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]], [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] |<br />
region5description=Ultra-hip and laid-back, with miles of beaches and some of the most vibrant immigrant communities in the country |<br />
<br />
region6name=Far West Side |<br />
region6color=#a5c077 |<br />
region6items=[[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Garfield Park]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]], [[Chicago/Far West Side|Austin]] |<br />
region6description=So far off the beaten tourist track you might not find your way back, but that's OK given all the great food, a couple of top blues clubs, and enormous parks. |<br />
<br />
region7name=Southwest Side |<br />
region7color=#c9815e |<br />
region7items=[[Chicago/Southwest Side|Back of the Yards]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Marquette Park]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Midway]] |<br />
region7description=Former home to the massive meatpacking district of the Union Stockyards, huge Polish and Mexican neighborhoods, and Midway Airport |<br />
<br />
region8name=Far Northwest Side |<br />
region8color=#a76767 |<br />
region8items=[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Avondale]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Irving Park]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Portage Park]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Jefferson Park]] |<br />
region8description=Polish Village, historic homes and theaters, and some undiscovered gems in the neighborhoods near [[O'Hare International Airport]] |<br />
<br />
region9name=Far Southeast Side |<br />
region9color=#8888dc |<br />
region9items=[[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Historic Pullman]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|East Side]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Port of Chicago]] |<br />
region9description=The giant, industrial underbelly of Chicago, home to one large tourist draw: the historic Pullman District |<br />
<br />
region10name=Far Southwest Side |<br />
region10color=#37a782 |<br />
region10items=[[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Beverly]], [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Mount Greenwood]] |<br />
region10description=Ireland in Chicago: authentic Irish pubs, brogues, galleries, and the odd haunted castle, all extremely far from the city center |<br />
<br />
}}<br />
<br />
&lt;!--PRINT<br />
===Downtown===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Loop|The Loop]]''' — the historic and business center of Chicago, the financial center of the Midwest, and the home of magnificent architecture, parks, and public art<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]''' — a ritzy shopping district, home to the Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, and the Gold Coast, and many hotels<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]''' — a few big draws, including Printer's Row, the Museum Campus, McCormick Place, and Soldier Field<br />
===North Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park-Old Town]]''' — a wealthy neighborhood with museums, mansions, upscale boutiques, the Lincoln Park Zoo, and some of the city's top dining and theaters<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview-North Center]]''' — entertainment aplenty with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, storefront theaters, and '''Boystown''', the center of Chicago's Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender culture<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]''' — a neighborhood with more than its fair share of Chicago history, Southeast Asian dining, Swedish and lesbian-friendly Andersonville, and a thriving entertainment district of edgy comedy and historic rock and jazz clubs<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/North Lincoln|North Lincoln]]''' — fun shopping at Lincoln Square, great Middle Eastern food on Kedzie and Korean food along Seoul Drive<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]''' — thriving multi-ethnic communities, miles of laid-back beaches, Loyola University, and the totally Indian Devon Avenue<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]]''' — Polish Village, historic homes and theaters, and some undiscovered gems in the neighborhoods near [[O'Hare International Airport]]<br />
===South Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]]''' — the University of Chicago's Gothic campus, brainy Hyde Park, old mansions aplenty, and great museums<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]''' — the historic &quot;Black Metropolis&quot; is a mecca of African-American History, historic site of the Chicago Black Renaissance, and home to the nation's first museum of African-American History in the enormous Washington Park<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport-Chinatown]]''' — home to Chicago's thriving Chinatown, the White Sox, and the city's South Side Irish power brokers<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]]''' — one of the country's true centers of African-American culture, with great soul food, the best BBQ in the North, and unparalleled blues clubs on offer<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]''' — Former home to the massive meatpacking district of the Union Stockyards, huge Polish and Mexican neighborhoods, and Midway Airport<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]''' — a vast and weird section of the city home to most of the city's heavy industry and the historic planned Pullman community of labor history fame<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Far Southwest Side]]''' — Ireland in Chicago: authentic Irish pubs, brogues, galleries, and the odd haunted castle, all extremely far from the city center<br />
===West Side===<br />
'''[[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]''' — lots of attractions in one area: dining at Little Italy and Greektown, clubs and galleries in the West Loop, the Chicago Bulls, and what remains of Maxwell Street<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]]''' — Chicago's hippest bar and restaurant scene plus eccentric shopping right next to Ukrainian Village, a neighborhood of hipsters and the Orthodox<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan-Bucktown]]''' — a neighborhood riding on a wave of gentrification spillover from Wicker Park with some great dive bars and wide-ranging Latin-American dining<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]]''' — incredible Mexican food everywhere you look, Czech architecture, two thriving arts districts, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and a Little Italy not overrun by visitors<br />
&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''[[Chicago/Far West Side|Far West Side]]''' — so far off the beaten tourist track you might not find your way back, but that's OK given all the great food, a couple of top blues clubs, enormous parks, and the botanical gardens of the Garfield Park Conservatory<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
<br />
==Understand==<br />
Chicago was known as a fine place to find a '''wild onion''' if you were a member of the Potawatomi tribe, who lived in this area of [[Illinois]] before European settlers arrived. It was mostly swamps, prairie and mud long past the establishment of Fort Dearborn in 1803 and incorporation as a town in 1833. It could be argued that nature never intended for there to be a city here; brutal winters aside, it took civil engineering projects of unprecedented scale to establish working sewers, reverse the flow of the river to keep it out of the city's drinking supply, and stop buildings from sinking back into the swamps — and that was just the first few decades.<br />
<br />
By 1871, the reckless growth of the city was a sight to behold, full of noise, Gothic lunacy, and bustling commerce. But on October 8th, Mrs. O'Leary's cow reportedly knocked over a lantern in the crowded immigrant quarters in the West Side, and the '''Great Chicago Fire''' began. It quickly spread through the dry prairie, killing 300 and destroying virtually the entire city. The stone Water Tower in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] is the most famous surviving structure. But the city seized this destruction as an opportunity to rebuild bigger than before, giving canvas for several architects and urban planners who would go on to become legends of modern architecture.<br />
<br />
At the pinnacle of its rebirth and the height of its newfound powers, Chicago was known as '''The White City'''. Cultures from around the world were summoned to the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition, to bear witness to the work of Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, and the future itself. Cream of Wheat, soft drinks, street lights and safe electricity, the fax machine, and the Ferris Wheel bespoke the colossus now resident on the shores of Lake Michigan. <br />
<br />
As every road had once led to Rome, every train led to Chicago. Carl Sandburg called Chicago the '''Hog Butcher for the World''' for its cattle stockyards and place on the nation's dinner plate. Sandburg also called it the '''City of the Big Shoulders''', noting the tall buildings in the birthplace of the skyscraper — and the city's &quot;lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.&quot; But Chicago is a city in no short supply of nicknames. Fred Fisher's 1922 song (best known in Frank Sinatra's rendition) calls it '''That Toddlin' Town''', where &quot;on State Street, that great street, they do things they don't do on Broadway.&quot; It's also referenced by countless blues standards like '''Sweet Home Chicago'''.<br />
<br />
Chicago is also known as '''The Second City''', which refers to its rebuilding after the fire — the current city is literally the second Chicago, after the one that disappeared in 1871. The moniker has stuck, in no small part due to its popular association with the city's long-held former position as the United States' second largest city. And many know the nickname from Chicago's great comedy theater in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]].<br />
<br />
Chicago's history with corruption is legendary. During the Prohibition era, Chicago's criminal world, emblemized by names like Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, and later Sam Giancana, practically ran the city. The local political world had scarcely more legitimacy in a town where voter turnout was highest among the dead and their pets, and precinct captains spread the word to &quot;vote early, vote often.&quot; Even Sandburg acknowledged the relentless current of vice than ran under the surface of the optimistic city.<br />
<br />
Today, Chicago is known as '''The Windy City'''. Walking around town, you might suspect that Chicago got this nickname from the winds off Lake Michigan, which shove through the downtown corridors with intense force. But the true origin of the saying comes from politics. Some say it may have been coined by rivals like [[Cincinnati]] and [[New York City|New York]] as a derogatory reference to the Chicagoan habit of rabid boosterism and endless political conventions. Others say that the term originated from the fact that Chicago politicians change their minds &quot;as often as the wind.&quot; <br />
<br />
Finally, the city is known as the '''The City That Works''', as promoted by longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley, which refers to Chicago's labor tradition, the long hours worked by its residents, and its willingness to tackle grand civic projects. Daley and his father, former Mayor Richard J. Daley, ruled the city for decades in what can only be described as a benevolent dictatorship; as other Midwestern manufacturing cities like [[Cleveland]] and [[Detroit]] went into decline, Chicago thrived, transforming from a city of stockyards and factories to a financial giant at the forefront of modern urban design. But with Richard M. retiring in 2011, Chicagoans face the rare prospect of a Daley-less city government, and will have to decide all over again if democracy can work in this town.<br />
<br />
While the city has many great attractions downtown, most Chicagoans live and play outside of the central business district. To understand Chicago, travelers must venture away from the Loop and Michigan Avenue and out into the vibrant neighborhoods, to soak up the local nightlife, sample the wide range of fantastic dining, and see the sights Chicagoans care about most — thanks to the city's massive public transit system, every part of Chicago is only slightly off the most beaten path.<br />
<br />
<br />
===Climate===<br />
{{Climate<br />
| units = Imperial<br />
| janhigh = 29<br />
| febhigh = 34<br />
| marhigh = 45<br />
| aprhigh = 58<br />
| mayhigh = 70<br />
| junhigh = 80<br />
| julhigh = 84<br />
| aughigh = 82<br />
| sephigh = 75<br />
| octhigh = 63<br />
| novhigh = 48<br />
| dechigh = 35<br />
| janlow = 13<br />
| feblow = 18<br />
| marlow = 28<br />
| aprlow = 39<br />
| maylow = 48<br />
| junlow = 57<br />
| jullow = 63<br />
| auglow = 62<br />
| seplow = 54<br />
| octlow = 42<br />
| novlow = 31<br />
| declow = 20<br />
| janprecip = 1.7<br />
| febprecip = 1.4<br />
| marprecip = 2.7<br />
| aprprecip = 3.6<br />
| mayprecip = 3.2<br />
| junprecip = 3.8<br />
| julprecip = 3.6<br />
| augprecip = 4.1<br />
| sepprecip = 3.5<br />
| octprecip = 2.6<br />
| novprecip = 2.9<br />
| decprecip = 2.2<br />
| description = {{ForecastNOAA|Chicago|41.878644|-87.6358859}}<br />
}}<br />
[[Image:Coldchicago.jpg|300px|thumb|Insider tip: it has been known to snow in Chicago]]<br />
Weather is definitely not one of the attractions in Chicago. There's a good time to be had in any season, but it is a place where the climate has to be taken into consideration.<br />
<br />
Little known fact is despite Chicago's winters, there are more days with a maximum temperature of between 80-84F that any other five-degree range. Obscured by Chicago's ferocious winters are the heat waves of summer. The days in July and August that go above the &quot;normal&quot; are often times disgustingly hot and humid, dewpoints can be similar to those found closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Summer nights are usually reasonable, though, and you'll get a few degrees' respite along the lakefront — in the local parlance, that's &quot;cooler by the lake.&quot; <br />
<br />
But then there are those winters. The months from December to March will see very cold temperatures, with even more bitter wind chill factors. Snow is usually limited to a handful of heavy storms per season, with a few light dustings in-between. (And a little more along the lakefront — again in the local parlance, that's &quot;lake effect snow&quot;.) Ice storms are also a risk. It's a city that's well-accustomed to these winters, though, so city services and public transportation are highly unlikely to shut down.<br />
<br />
That said, Chicago does have a few nice months of weather. May and September are pleasant and mild; April and June are mostly fine, although thunderstorms with heavy winds can also occur suddenly. Although there may be a slight chill in the air in October, it rarely calls for more than a light coat and some days thats not even necessary. In some years, the warmth stored by the lake may prolong a pleasant autumn into November.<br />
<br />
===Literature===<br />
Chicago literature found its roots in the city's tradition of lucid, direct journalism, lending to a strong tradition of social realism. Consequently, most notable Chicago fiction focuses on the city itself, with social criticism keeping exultation in check. Here is a selection of Chicago's most famous works about itself:<br />
<br />
*Karen Abbott's ''Sin in the Second City'' is a recent best-seller about Chicago's vice district, the Levee, and some of the personalities involved: gangsters, corrupt politicians, and two sisters who ran the most elite brothel in town.<br />
*Nelson Algren's ''Chicago: City on the Make'' is a prose poem about the alleys, the El tracks, the neon and the dive bars, the beauty and cruelty of Chicago. It's best saved for ''after'' a trip, when at least twenty lines will have you enraptured in recognition.<br />
*Saul Bellow's ''Adventures of Augie March'' charts the long drifting life of a Jewish Chicagoan and his myriad eccentric acquaintances throughout the early 20th century: growing up in the then Polish neighborhood of [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]], cavorting with heiresses on the [[Chicago/Near North|Gold Coast]], studying at the University of Chicago, fleeing union thugs in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and taking the odd detour to hang out with Trotsky in [[Mexico]] while eagle-hunting giant iguanas on horseback. This book has legitimate claim to be ''the'' Chicago epic (for practical purposes, that means you won't finish it on the plane).<br />
*Gwendolyn Brooks' ''A Street in Bronzeville'' was the collection of poems that launched the career of the famous Chicago poetess, focused on the aspirations, disappointments, and daily life of those who lived in 1940s [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]. It is long out of print, so you'll likely need to read these poems in a broader collection, such as her ''Selected Poems''.<br />
*Sandra Cisneros' ''The House on Mango Street'' is a Mexican-American coming-of-age novel, dealing with a young Latina girl, Esperanza Cordero, growing up in the Chicago Chicano ghetto.<br />
*Theodore Dreiser's ''Sister Carrie'' is a cornerstone of the turn of the 20th century Chicago Literary Renaissance, a tale of a country girl in the big immoral city, rags-to-riches and back again.<br />
*Stuart Dybek's ''The Coast of Chicago'' is a collection of fourteen marvelous short stories about growing up in Chicago (largely in [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] and [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]]) in a style blending the gritty with the dreamlike.<br />
*John Guzlowski's ''Lightning and Ashes'' chronicles the author's experiences growing up in the immigrant and DP neighborhoods around [[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]] in Chicago, talking about Jewish hardware store clerks with Auschwitz tattoos on their wrists, Polish cavalry officers who still mourned for their dead horses, and women who walked from Siberia to Iran to escape the Russians.<br />
*Erik Larson's ''Devil in the White City'' is a best-selling pop history about the 1893 Colombian Exposition; it's also about the serial killer who was stalking the city at the same time. For a straight history of the Exposition and also the workers' paradise in Pullman, try James Gilbert's excellent ''Perfect Cities: Chicago's Utopias of 1893''.<br />
*Audrey Niffenegger's ''The Time-Traveler's Wife'' is a recent love story set in Chicago nightclubs, museums, and libraries.<br />
*Mike Royko's ''Boss'' is the definitive biography of Mayor Richard J. Daley and politics in Chicago, written by the beloved late Tribune columnist. ''American Pharaoh'' (Cohen and Taylor) is a good scholarly treatment of the same subject.<br />
*Carl Sandburg's ''Chicago Poems'' is without a doubt the most famous collection of poems about Chicago by its own &quot;bard of the working class.&quot;<br />
*Upton Sinclair's ''The Jungle'' sits among the canon of both Chicago literature and US labor history for its muckraking-style depiction of the desolation experienced by Lithuanian immigrants working in the Union Stockyards on Chicago's [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]].<br />
*Richard Wright's ''Native Son'' is a classic Chicago neighborhood novel set in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] and [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] about a young, doomed, black boy hopelessly warped by the racism and poverty that defined his surroundings.<br />
<br />
===Movies===<br />
<br />
Chicago is America's third most prolific movie industry and a host of very Chicago-centric movies have been produced here. These are just a few:<br />
<br />
* ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (John Hughes, 1986). The dream of the northern suburbs: to be young, clever, and loose for a day in Chicago. Ferris and friends romp through the old Loop theater district, catch a game at Wrigley Field, and enjoy the sense of invincibility that Chicago shares with its favorite sons when all is well.<br />
* ''Adventures in Babysitting'' (Chris Columbus, 1987). The flip side of Ferris Bueller — the dangers that await the suburbanite in the Loop at night, including memorable trips to lower Michigan Avenue and up close with the Chicago skyline.<br />
* ''The Blues Brothers'' (John Landis, 1980). Probably Chicago's favorite movie about itself: blues music, white men in black suits, a mission from God, the conscience that every Chicago hustler carries without question, and almost certainly the biggest car chase ever filmed.<br />
* ''The Untouchables'' (Brian De Palma, 1987). With a square-jawed screenplay by David Mamet, this is a retelling of Chicago's central fable of good vs. evil: Eliot Ness and the legendary takedown of Al Capone. No film (except perhaps ''The Blues Brothers'') has made a better use of so many Chicago locations, especially Union Station (the baby carriage), the Chicago Cultural Center (the rooftop fight), and the LaSalle Street canyon.<br />
* ''High Fidelity'' (Stephen Frears, 2000). John Cusack reviews failed relationships from high school at Lane Tech to college in Lincoln Park and muses over them in trips through Uptown, River North, all over the city on the CTA, his record store in the rock snob environs of Wicker Park, and returning at last to his record-swamped apartment in Rogers Park.<br />
* ''Batman Begins'' (Christopher Nolan, 2005) and its sequel ''The Dark Knight'' (2008). Making spectacular use of the 'L', the Chicago Board of Trade Building, Chicago skyscrapers, the Loop at night, and lower Wacker Drive, the revived action series finally sets the imposing power and intractable corruption of Gotham City where it belongs, in Chicago.<br />
<br />
Others include Harrison Ford vs. the one-armed man in ''The Fugitive'', the CTA vs. true love in ''While You Were Sleeping'', and the greatest Patrick Swayze hillbilly ninja vs. Italian mob film of all time, ''Next of Kin''.<br />
<br />
===Smoking===<br />
<br />
Smoking is prohibited by state law at all restaurants, bars, nightclubs, workplaces, and public buildings. It's also banned within fifteen feet of any entrance, window, or exit to a public place, and at CTA train stations. The fine for violating the ban can range from $100 to $250.<br />
<br />
===Tourist Information===<br />
Chicago's visitor information centers offer maps, brochures and other information.<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Water Works Visitor Information Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;163 E Pearson Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877 244-2246&quot; url=&quot;http://explorechicago.org/city/en/travel_tools/visitor_centers.html&quot; hours=&quot;M-Th 8AM-7PM, F 8AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10AM-6PM (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day)&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;The city's main visitor information center is located on the Magnificent Mile in the historic Pumping Station, across the street from the Water Tower. In addition to extensive free visitor materials, there is a small cafe and a Hot Tix window for discount theater tickets.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;77 E Randolph St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 744-8000&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://explorechicago.org/city/en/travel_tools/visitor_centers.html&quot; hours=&quot;M-Th 8AM-7PM, F 8AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 10AM-6PM (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day)&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;A centrally located place to pick up a host of useful, free materials. The Cultural Center itself makes a good first stop on your tour, with free, worthwhile art and historical exhibits throughout the year.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
==Get in==<br />
[[Image:Chicago overview map.png|thumb|400px|]]<br />
===By plane===<br />
<br />
Chicago ({{IATA|CHI}} for [[Metropolitan Area Airport Codes|all airports]]) is served by two major airports: '''O'Hare International Airport''' [http://ohare.com] and '''Midway Airport''' [http://flychicago.com/midway/midwayHomepage.shtm]. There are plenty of taxis both to and from the city center, but they are quite expensive, especially during rush hours. Expect upwards of $40 for O'Hare and $30 for Midway. CTA trains provide direct service to both larger airports for $2.25 from anywhere in the city — faster than a taxi during rush hour and a lot less expensive.<br />
<br />
Many large hotels offer complimentary shuttle vans to one or both airports, or can arrange one for a charge ($15-25) with advance notice.<br />
<br />
====O'Hare====<br />
<br />
'''[[O'Hare International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|ORD}}, {{ICAO|KORD}}) is 17 miles northwest of downtown and serves many international and domestic carriers. '''United Airlines''' [http://united.com] has the largest presence here (about 50%) followed by '''American Airlines''' [http://aa.com] with about 40%. Most connecting flights for smaller cities in the Midwest run through O'Hare. It's one of the biggest airports in the world, and it has always been notorious for delays and cancellations. Unfortunately, it's too far northwest for most travelers who get stuck overnight to head into the city. As a result, there are ''plenty'' of hotels in the O'Hare area. See the [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] article for listings.<br />
<br />
The CTA Blue Line runs between the Loop and O'Hare in 45-60 sluggish minutes. On weekends, the Blue Line is usually getting some overdue repair work — this means you will have to take a (free) shuttle bus between stations, which can add even more time to the trip. If you've got a plane to catch, allow extra time.<br />
<br />
====Midway====<br />
<br />
'''[[Chicago/Southwest Side#By plane|Midway International Airport]]''' ({{IATA|MDW}}, {{ICAO|KMDW}}) is 10 miles southwest of downtown. '''Southwest Airlines''' [http://southwest.com] is the largest carrier here, followed by '''AirTran''' [http://airtran.com]. If it's an option for your trip, Midway is more compact, less crowded, has fewer delays, and usually cheaper. And, of course, it's significantly closer to downtown.<br />
<br />
The CTA Orange Line train runs between the Loop and Midway in around 25 minutes. There are a number of hotels clustered around Midway, too — see the [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Sleep|Southwest Side]] article for listings.<br />
<br />
====Others====<br />
[[Milwaukee]]'s '''General Mitchell International Airport''' [http://mitchellairport.com] ({{IATA|MKE}}, {{ICAO|KMKE}}) is served by 7 Amtrak trains per day (6 on Sunday), and the Hiawatha Service has a 95% on-time rating. The trip from Chicago Union Station to Mitchell Airport Station is about one hour and 15 minutes. There are also buses from Mitchell Airport to Chicago OHare Airport.<br />
<br />
===By bus===<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Greyhound&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;630 W Harrison St&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 408-5800&quot; url=&quot;http://greyhound.com&quot; hours=&quot;24 hours&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt; America's largest bus carrier offers service to destinations throughout the Midwest. The main terminal is near the southwestern corner of the Loop. There are secondary terminals at the CTA Red Line station at 95th/Dan Ryan and the CTA transit building (5800 N Cumberland).&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Indian Trails&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;at the Greyhound Station&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://indiantrails.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt; Frequent daily service to Michigan's Upper Peninsula via Wisconsin. Onward connections are available. Buses have Wi-Fi and power outlets.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Megabus&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;East across Canal St from Union Station&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877 462-6342&quot; url=&quot;http://megabus.com/us&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;Detroit $1-50 / Milwaukee $1-20 / Minneapolis $1-52&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Daily service across the [[Midwest]] with destinations from [[Memphis]] to [[Minneapolis]]. Buses have Wi-Fi and 110v outlets. &lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Wisconsin Coach&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;O'Hare Airport&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 877-324-7767&quot; url=&quot;http://wisconsincoach.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;ORD: $26&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;Offers 14 buses daily, departing every hour, from O'Hare to Southeastern Wisconsin and Milwaukee, including Milwaukee Airport.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
<br />
===By train===<br />
[[Image:Union Station steps.jpg|thumb|300px|Hold on to your baby carriages in Union Station!]]<br />
<br />
Chicago is historically the rail hub of the entire United States. Today, '''Amtrak''' [http://amtrak.com], ☎ +1 800 872-7245, uses the magisterial '''Union Station''' (Canal St and Jackson Blvd) as the hub of its Midwestern routes, making Chicago one of the most convenient U.S. cities to visit by train, serving the majority of the passenger rail company's long-distance routes, with options from virtually every major US city. With its massive main hall, venerable history, and cinematic steps, Union Station is worth a visit even if you're not coming in by train. <br />
<br />
Most (but not all) Metra suburban trains run from Union Station and nearby '''Ogilvie/Northwestern Station''' (Canal St and Madison St), which are west of the Loop. Some southern lines run from stations on the east side of the Loop. The suburban trains run as far as [[Kenosha]], [[Aurora]], and [[Joliet]], while the South Shore line runs through [[Indiana]] as far as [[South Bend]]. Several CTA buses converge upon the two stations, and the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] CTA trains are within walking distance.<br />
<br />
===By car===<br />
<br />
Chicagoans have a maddening habit of referring to some expressways by their names, not the numbers used to identify them on the signs you'll see posted on the U.S. interstate highway system, so you'll have to commit both name and number to memory. '''I-55''' (the '''Stevenson Expressway''') will take you directly from [[St. Louis]] into downtown Chicago. '''I-90/94''' ('''The Dan Ryan''') comes in from [[Indiana]] to the east (via the '''Chicago Skyway''' and '''Bishop Ford Freeway''') and from central [[Illinois]] (via '''I-57'''). '''I-90''' ('''The Kennedy''') comes in from [[Madison (Wisconsin)|Madison]] to the northwest. '''I-94''' (the '''Edens Expressway''') comes in from [[Milwaukee]] to the north, but recent roadwork has slowed traffic considerably compared to I-90. '''I-80''' will get you to the city from [[Iowa]] which neighbors Illinois to the west.<br />
<br />
If arriving downtown from Indiana, from the south on '''I-94''' or '''I-90''', or from the north, Lake Shore Drive ('''U.S. Highway 41''') provides a scenic introduction in both directions, day or night. If arriving on '''I-55''' from the southwest, or on '''I-290''' (the '''Eisenhower Expressway''', formerly and sometimes still called '''The Congress Expressway''') from the west, the skyline may also be visible from certain clear spots, but without the shore view. It should also be noted that I-55 from the southwest and I-90 through much of northwest Indiana are chock full of heavy industries with odors that'll knock your socks off, so plan your route downtown wisely.<br />
<br />
==Get around==<br />
[[Image:CTA_L map.png|thumb|400px|CTA trains route map]]<br />
<br />
Navigating Chicago is easy. Block numbers are consistent across the whole city. Standard blocks, of 100 addresses each, are roughly 1/8th of a mile long. (Hence, a mile is equivalent to a street number difference of 800.) Each street is assigned a number based on its distance from the zero point of the address system, the intersection of State Street and Madison Street. A street with a W (west) or E (east) number runs north-south, while a street with a N (north) or S (south) number runs east-west. A street's number is usually written on street signs at intersections, below the street name. Major thoroughfares are at each mile (multiples of 800) and secondary arteries at the half-mile marks. Thus, Western Ave at 2400 W is a north-south major thoroughfare, while Montrose Ave at 4400 N is an east-west secondary artery. <br />
<br />
In general, &quot;avenues&quot; run north-south and &quot;streets&quot; run east-west, but there are numerous exceptions. (e.g., 48th Street may then be followed by 48th Place). In conversation, however, Chicagoans rarely distinguish between streets, avenues, boulevards, etc. <br />
<br />
Several streets follow diagonal or meandering paths through the city such as Clark St, Lincoln Ave, Broadway, Milwaukee Ave, Ogden Ave, Archer Ave, Vincennes Ave, and South Chicago Ave. <br />
<br />
===By public transit===<br />
The best way to see Chicago is by public transit. It is cheap (basically), efficient (at times), and safe (for the most part). The '''Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)''' [http://rtachicago.com/] oversees the various public transit agencies in the [[Chicagoland]] area. You can plan trips online with the RTA '''trip planner''' [http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/] or get assistance by calling 836-7000 in any local area code between 5AM-1AM. The RTA also has an official partnership with Google Maps, which can provide routes with public transit.<br />
<br />
<br />
&lt;!--PRINT<br />
[[Image:Chicago overview map print.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
[[Image:CTA_L map.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
[[Image:Metra map.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
====CTA====<br />
<br />
The '''Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)''' [http://transitchicago.com/] operates trains and buses in the city of Chicago and some of the suburbs. Put simply, the CTA ''is'' Chicago. It is a marvel and a beast, convenient, frustrating, and irreplaceable. Even if you have the option of driving while you're in town, no experience of Chicago is complete without a trip on the CTA.<br />
<br />
Fares are paid with '''transit cards''', which can be purchased and re-filled at kiosks in the lobby of every CTA station. All accept cash, and some accept credit cards. Many locals use the '''Chicago Card''', which cannot be purchased at stations, but can be ordered online [http://chicago-card.com] and also purchased at grocery stores and currency exchanges. '''Visitor passes''' are sold for unlimited travel on the CTA and Pace: 1 Day (24 hours) for $5.75; 3 Days for $14; 7 Days for $23 and 30 Days for $86. These passes are on sale at certain train stations (notably, the O'Hare Blue Line station), currency exchanges and some convenience stores, and online [http://transitchicago.com/fares_gifts]. Transit cards for single rides or larger increments can also be purchased online. <br />
<br />
Train rides of any length, from one side of the city to another or just one stop, cost $2.25. At certain stations, you can transfer to other train lines at no extra cost. Once you have exited the turnstiles, entering another CTA station or boarding a CTA bus costs $0.25 — and doing it a third time is free, provided it's still within two hours of when you started the trip.<br />
<br />
Locals refer to Chicago's public train system as the &quot;L&quot;. (Most lines run on '''el'''-evated tracks — get it?) All train lines radiate from the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] to every corner of the city. The &quot;Loop&quot; name originally referred to a surface-level streetcar loop, which pre-dated the elevated tracks; that ''any'' form of transportation preceded the present one may come as a surprise, given how old some of the stations look. But they work.<br />
[[Image:Ctabus.jpg|thumb|240px|A CTA bus - note the number/destination and symbol for wheelchair accessibility]]<br />
CTA train lines are divided by colors: Red, Green, Brown, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Orange and Pink. All lines lead to the Loop except the Yellow Line, which is a nonstop shuttle between the suburb of [[Skokie]] and the northern border of Chicago. The Red and Blue lines run 24/7, making Chicago one of only two American cities with 24-hour rail service. Hours for the other lines vary somewhat by day, but as a general rule are from about 4:30AM-12:40AM, slightly later on weekends.<br />
<br />
Before you travel, find out the name of the train stop closest to your destination, and the color of the train line on which it is located. Once you're on-board, you'll find route maps in each train car, above the door. The same map is also available online [http://transitchicago.com/maps/maps/fwebmaptrain.gif]. The name signs on platforms often have the station's location in the street grid, e.g. &quot;5900 N, 1200 W&quot; for Thorndale.<br />
<br />
There should be an attendant on duty at every train station. They can't provide change or deal with money, but they can help you figure out where you need to go and guide you through using the machines.<br />
[[Image:Chicagobusstop.jpg|thumb|200px|A CTA bus stop - note the symbols for wheelchair accessibility and late-night hours]]<br />
'''Buses''' run on nearly every major street in the city. Look for the blue and white sign, which should give a map of the route taken by the bus and major streets/stops along the way. Once inside, watch the front of the bus — a red LED display will list the names of the streets as they pass, making it easy to stop exactly where you'd like, even if it's a small side-street. To request a stop, pull the cord hanging above the window and make sure you hear an audible 'ding'. Hollering at the bus driver will raise tempers but works in a pinch.<br />
<br />
Rides of any length cost $2 with a transit card or Chicago Card, and $2.25 in cash. Major bus routes run 7-15 minutes apart during daylight hours, depending on the route. Less-traveled routes or routes during off-peak hours may run less frequently. Check the sign to be sure the bus is still running. There are several bus routes that are on a 24 hour/7 day a week schedule — these are called OWL routes, and the signs usually have an owl to belabor that point. (See individual district articles for major bus routes through different parts of the city.)<br />
<br />
If you have a web-enabled mobile device, the CTA runs a little godsend called the '''CTA Bus Tracker''' [http://ctabustracker.com/bustime/home.jsp], which uses GPS to provide reliable, real-time tracking information for almost all bus routes. If your mobile phone doesn't have internet service, you can use '''CTA By Text''' [http://ctabytext.com] to receive bus arrival times via text message.<br />
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CTA buses accept transit cards but do not sell them. They also accept cash, but do not provide change. If you overpay, the CTA keeps the extra cash, so carry exact change.<br />
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In compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, all CTA buses and some train stations are accessible to wheelchairs. Wheelchair-accessible 'L' stations are indicated by the international wheelchair symbol and have elevators or are at ground level. If you are trying to get to a place with a non-accessible station, there will be alternate routes by bus — contact the CTA for more information.<br />
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Crime on the CTA is low, but as with any major urban area, travelers should be aware of their surroundings when traveling in the wee hours of the night, and sit close to the driver if you feel uncomfortable for any reason. Buses are being equipped with video cameras as the fleet is upgraded. Some train cars have a button and speaker for emergency communication with the driver, located in the center aisle of the car on the wall next to the door. Do not press this just to chat — the driver is required to halt the train until the situation has been confirmed as resolved, and your fellow passengers will be unamused.<br />
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====Metra and South Shore====<br />
[[Image:Chicago_metra_near_the_loop.jpg|thumb|250px|Metra train on the way to the Loop]]<br />
[[Image:Metra map.png|thumb|420px|Metra system map]]<br />
'''Metra''' [http://metrarail.com/], ☎ +1 312 322-6777, runs commuter trains for the suburbs, providing service within Illinois, to [[Kenosha]], [[Wisconsin]], out west, and to the South Shore railroad, which provides service to [[South Bend]], [[Indiana]]. Metra trains are fast, clean, and punctual, but unpleasantly crowded during rush hour. Generally, every car or every other car on the train has a bathroom.<br />
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Metra's '''Electric Line''' provides service to the [[Chicago/Near South|convention center]] (McCormick Place), [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] (Museum of Science and Industry, University of Chicago), and the [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]'s Pullman Historic District and Rainbow Beach. The Electric Line is ''fast'', taking at most 15 minutes to reach Hyde Park from the Loop. Unfortunately, service outside of rush hours is infrequent (about once/hour), so be sure to check the schedules while planning your trip.<br />
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Although there are plans to change this in the future, none of the commuter trains currently accept CTA transit cards as payment. The fare to McCormick Place and Hyde Park, however, is only $2. Buy your tickets before boarding the train at a window or one of the automated vending machines. You can buy a ticket on the train, but that comes with an extra $2/ticket surcharge.<br />
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Ten-ride, weekly, and monthly passes are available. If you have a group of four or more people, it may be cheaper to purchase a ten-ride card and have all of your fares punched from that one card. If using Metra on Saturday and/or Sunday, you can purchase an unlimited ride weekend pass for just $7. Keep in mind that Metra only accepts cash at this time.<br />
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====Pace====<br />
'''Pace''' [http://pacebus.com/] runs buses in the suburbs, although some routes do cross into the city, particularly in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] at the Howard (Red/Purple/Yellow Line) CTA station and the [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]] at the Jefferson Park (Blue Line) CTA station. Pace provides paratransit services should you need to go somewhere inconvenient via CTA.<br />
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===By car===<br />
Avoid driving in downtown Chicago if at all possible. Traffic is awful, pedestrians are constantly wandering into the street out of turn, and garages in the Loop can cost as much as $40 per day. And although downtown streets are laid out on the grid, many have multiple levels which confuse even the most hardened city driver. Even outside of the city center, street parking may not be readily available. If you do find a spot, check street signs to make sure that a) no residential permit is required to park here and b) parking is not disallowed during certain hours for &quot;street cleaning&quot;, rush hour or something along those lines. Parking restrictions are swiftly and mercilessly enforced in the form of tickets and towing — be especially wary during snowy weather.<br />
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Parking is handled by one-per-block kiosks, which will issue a slip for you to put in your front window. The kiosks will accept cash or credit cards. If the kiosk fails for any reason (such as the printer running out of paper), there should be a phone number to call to report it and ensure you don't receive an undeserved ticket. As you do, any passing Chicagoan will be happy to commiserate about how badly the city bungled privatizing the parking meters.<br />
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Be advised: '''talking on a handheld cell phone while driving is illegal''' in Chicago, and the police are eager to write tickets for it. If you need to take a call, use a hands-free headset — or better yet, pull over.<br />
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The perpetual construction is bad enough, but drivers on the city expressways can be very aggressive. For those used to driving on expressways in the Northeast, this may be a welcome reminder of home. For everyone else, though, it can be intimidating.<br />
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===By taxi===<br />
{{infobox|Your Name Here|Determined to shake off the burden of a world-class cultural heritage, Chicago has always found ways to undercut its own treasures in exchange for a quick buck. Of late, &quot;naming rights&quot; are all the rage; while official city tourism guides rush to comply, using the new names will earn an eye roll or an oblivious look from most Chicagoans (and cab drivers). A few of the worst offenders:<br />
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* '''Sears Tower''' — 36 years after it was built, North America's tallest building was redubbed the &quot;Willis Tower&quot; for a bunch of junk bond traders; even more surprising than the renaming was how little the owners got for it.<br />
* '''Comiskey Park''' — Winning the city's first World Series in nearly a century helped earn some acceptance for the &quot;U.S. Cellular Field&quot; (&quot;The Cell&quot;) moniker, but it's still regarded as profanity by the old-timers in [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]], where the first Comiskey Park was built in 1910.<br />
* '''Hollywood Beach''' — The favorite beach of Chicago's GLBT community was renamed &quot;Kathy Osterman Beach&quot; for one of the mayor's [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Edgewater]] based political cronies, but more than a decade later, only city signage knows it by that name.}}<br />
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Chicago has some of the cheapest taxi fares in the U.S. Taxis can be hailed from the street throughout the major tourist areas, and are strictly regulated by the city. Fares are standard and the initial charge (&quot;flag pull&quot;) is $2.25 for the first 1/9 mile, then $0.20 for each additional 1/9 mile or $0.20 for each elapsed 36 seconds. There is a $1.00 fuel surcharge added to the initial charge. There is also a flat $1.00 charge for the second passenger, and then a $0.50 charge for each additional passenger after that (for example, if four people take a taxi together, there will be $2.00 in additional flat fees). There is no additional charge for baggage or credit card use. Rides from [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side#By plane|Midway]] to outer suburbs cost an additional one half the metered fee. Give the driver the nearest major intersection to which you are heading (if you know it) and then the specific address.<br />
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Outside of the downtown, North Side, Near West and Near South neighborhoods, you will likely have greater difficulty hailing a taxi directly from the street. In these situations, you can call for a taxi to come pick you up. Taxis typically take 10-15 minutes from the time you call to arrive. The principal companies are:<br />
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*'''American-United Taxi''', ☎ +1 773 248-7600<br />
*'''Checker Cab''', ☎ +1 312 243-2537<br />
*'''Flash Cab''', ☎ +1 773 561-1444 [http://flashcab.com/]<br />
*'''Yellow Cab''', ☎ +1 312 829-4222 [http://yellowcabchicago.com/]<br />
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The above applies only to Chicago taxis. Suburban taxi cabs have their own fares and rates, depending on the laws and regulations of the town in which they are based.<br />
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===By bicycle===<br />
Chicago has a bike path along the shores of Lake Michigan, making north-south travel very convenient as long as the weather is favorable by the lake. Most major city streets have bike lanes, and the biking culture is established enough that cars tend to accommodate and (grudgingly) yield to bicycles. Bike trips can also be combined with rides on the CTA. See the [[Chicago#Bicycles|bicycling section]] below for more details.<br />
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===By water taxi===<br />
In the summer, water taxis are sometimes more convenient than the CTA, if you are traveling around the fringes of downtown. They are also a relatively cheap way to take in some offshore views. Two private companies operate water taxi services around the Loop. <br />
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'''Chicago Water Taxi''' (''Wendella Boats'') [http://chicagowatertaxi.com/] ☎ +1 312 337-1446, uses yellow boats and has three stops (Michigan Ave, LaSalle/Clark, Madison St), plus Chinatown on weekends ($2, $4 Chinatown/all day pass). Taxis run roughly M-F 6:30AM-6:30PM, Sa-Su 10:30AM-6:30PM. <br />
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'''Shoreline Sightseeing''' [http://shorelinesightseeing.com/watertaximap.html] ☎ +1 312 222-9328, has blue and white boats. It is more expensive ($5-7), but it serves seven destinations including some on Lake Michigan (Union Station/Sears Tower, Wells &amp; Wacker, Michigan Ave Bridge, Navy Pier-Ogden Slip, Navy Pier-Dock St, Buckingham Fountain, and Museum Campus). Shoreline taxis run 10AM-6PM every twenty minutes and 6PM-9PM every half hour Memorial Day–Labor Day, with occasional and less frequent service in the spring and fall.<br />
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==See==<br />
&lt;!-- This section is for general Chicago topics. Listings for individual attractions should go in the appropriate district articles, listed above --&gt;<br />
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===Itineraries===<br />
* [[Along the Magnificent Mile]] — one day and night in Chicago, with skyscrapers, shopping, food, parks, and amazing views of the city from high and low.<br />
* [[Loop Art Tour]] — a 2-4 hour walking tour of downtown Chicago's magnificent collection of modern sculpture.<br />
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===Museums===<br />
[[Image:Lincolnparkzoo.jpg|thumb|240px|Penguin triumphant, Lincoln Park Zoo]]<br />
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Chicago's set of museums and cultural institutions are among the best in the world. Three of them are located within a short walk of each other in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]], on what is known as the '''Museum Campus''', in a beautiful spot along the lake: the '''Adler Planetarium''', with all sorts of cool hands-on space exhibits and astronomy shows; the '''Field Museum of Natural History''', which features '''SUE''', the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, and a plethora of Egyptian treasures; and the '''Shedd Aquarium''', with dolphins, whales, sharks, and the best collection of marine life east of California. A short distance away, in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], is the most fun of them all, the '''Museum of Science and Industry''' — or, as generations of Chicago-area grammar school students know it, the best field trip ever.<br />
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In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], the '''Art Institute of Chicago''' has a handful of iconic household names among an unrivaled collection of Impressionism, modern and classical art, and tons of historical artifacts. And in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], a short trip from the Loop, the cheerful (and free) '''Lincoln Park Zoo''' welcomes visitors every day of the week, with plentiful highlights like the Regenstein Center for African Apes.<br />
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Also, Chicago has some knockout less well-known museums scattered throughout the city like the '''International Museum of Surgical Science''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Gold Coast]], '''Chicago History Museum''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park|Lincoln Park]], '''DuSable Museum of African American History''' in [[Chicago/Washington Park|Washington Park]], '''National Museum of Mexican Art''' in [[Pilsen]], the '''Polish Museum of America''' in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], and the '''Museum of Photography''' in the Loop. The University of Chicago, in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], has several cool (and free) museums that are open to all visitors, showcasing a spectacular collection of antiquities and modern/contemporary art.<br />
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Discount packages like the '''Chicago CityPASS''' [http://www.citypass.com/chicago/] and the '''Go Chicago Card''' [http://gochicagocard.com/] can be purchased before you arrive in town. They cover admission to some museums and other tourist attractions, allowing you to cut to the front of lines, and may include discounts for restaurants and shopping. Also, programs such as Bank of America's Museums to Go offer free admission at multiple Chicago museums for designated times which can save you a small fortune on admission fees.<br />
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===Architecture===<br />
{{web|''See the [[Chicago skyline guide]] to find out more about the city's skyscrapers.''}}<br />
[[Image:Prairie School Style Home.JPG|thumb|300px|Prairie School Style Home, [[Oak Park]]]]<br />
From the sternly classical to the space-age, from the Gothic to the coolly modern, Chicago is a place with an embarrassment of architectural riches. '''Frank Lloyd Wright''' fans will swoon to see his earliest buildings in Chicago, where he began his professional career and established the Prairie School architectural style, with numerous homes in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], [[Oak Park]], and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] — over 100 buildings in the Chicago metropolitan area! Frank Lloyd Wright learned his craft at the foot of the ''lieber meister'', '''Louis Sullivan''', whose ornate, awe-inspiring designs were once the jewels of the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and whose few surviving buildings (Auditorium Theater, Carson Pirie Scott Building, one in the [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]]) still stand apart. <br />
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The 1871 Chicago Fire forced the city to rebuild. The ingenuity and ambition of Sullivan, his teacher '''William Le Baron Jenney''' (Manhattan Building), and contemporaries like '''Burnham &amp; Root''' (Monadnock, Rookery) and '''Holabird &amp; Roche/Root''' (Chicago Board of Trade) made Chicago the definitive city of their era. The world's first '''skyscrapers''' were built in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] as those architects received ever more demanding commissions. It was here that steel-frame construction was invented, allowing buildings to rise above the limits of load-bearing walls. Later, '''Mies van der Rohe''' would adapt Sullivan's ethos with landmark buildings in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] (Illinois Institute of Technology) and the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] (Chicago Federal Center). Unfortunately, Chicago's world-class architectural heritage is almost evenly matched by the world-class recklessness with which the city has treated it, and the list is long of masterpieces that have been needlessly demolished for bland new structures.<br />
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Today, Chicago boasts three out of America's five tallest buildings: the '''[[Chicago/Loop#See|Sears Tower]]''' (1st), the [[Chicago/Near North#See|Trump Tower]] (2nd), and the Aon Center (5th) (although the local favorite is actually #6: the [[Chicago/Near North#See|John Hancock Center]]). For years, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world, but it has since lost the title. Various developers insist they're bringing the title back with proposed skyscrapers. Until they do, Chicago will have to settle for having the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere with the Sears Tower, although the Hancock has a better view and is quite frankly better-looking.<br />
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Chicago is particularly noted for its vast array of '''sacred architecture''', as diverse theologically as it is artistically. There were more than two thousand churches in Chicago at the opening of the twenty-first century. Of particular note are the so-called ''Polish Cathedrals'' like St. Mary of the Angels in [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] and St. Hyacinth Basilica in [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Avondale]], as well as several treasures in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]] — beautifully crafted buildings with old world flourishes recognized for their unusually large size and impressive scope.<br />
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Architectural tours cover the landmarks on foot and by popular river boat tours, or by just standing awestruck on a downtown bridge over the Chicago River; see individual district articles for details. For a tour on the cheap, the short trip around the elevated Loop train circuit (Brown/Purple Lines) may be worth every penny of the $2 fare.<br />
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===African-American history===<br />
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Chicago's African-American history begins with the city's African-American founder, '''Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable'''. Born to a Haitian slave and a French pirate, he married a woman from the Potawatomi tribe, and built a house and trading post on the Chicago River on the spot of today's Pioneer Court (the square just south of the Tribune Tower in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]). Du Sable lived on the Chicago River with his family from the 1770s to 1800, when he sold his house to John Kinzie, whose family and friends would later claim to have founded the city.<br />
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Relative to other northern cities, African-Americans constituted a fairly large part of Chicago's early population because of Illinois' more tolerant culture, which was inherited from fervent anti-slavery Mormon settlers. As a non-slave state generally lacking official segregation laws, Illinois was an attractive place to live for black freedmen and fugitive slaves. <br />
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By the 1920s, Chicago had a thriving middle class African-American community based in the [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] neighborhood, which at the time became known as &quot;The Black Metropolis,&quot; home to a cultural renaissance comparable to the better-known Harlem Renaissance of New York. African-American literature of the time was represented by local poetess '''Gwendolyn Brooks''' and novelist '''Richard Wright''', most famous for his ''Native Son'', nearly all of which takes place in Chicago's [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] and [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]]. The Chicago school of African-American literature distinguished itself from the East Coast by its focus on the new realities of urban African-American life. Chicago became a ''major'' center of African-American jazz, and ''the'' center for the blues. Jazz great '''Louis Armstrong''' got his start there; other famous black Chicagoans of the day included Bessie Coleman — the world's first licensed black pilot, the hugely influential African-American and women's civil rights activist '''Ida B. Wells''', the great pitcher/manager/executive of Negro League Baseball '''Andrew &quot;Rube&quot; Foster''', and many more.<br />
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Both fueling and threatening Chicago's black renaissance was the single most influential part of Chicago's African-American history: '''the Great Migration'''. African-Americans from the rural [[South (United States of America)|South]] moved to the industrial cities of the North due to the post-WWI shortage of immigrant industrial labor, and to escape the Jim Crow Laws and racial violence of the South. The massive wave of migrants, most from [[Mississippi]], increased Chicago's black population by more than 500,000. With it came southern food, Mississippi blues, and the challenges of establishing adequate housing for so many recent arrivals — a challenge that they would have to meet themselves, without help from a racist and neglectful city government.<br />
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Black Chicago's renaissance was brought to its knees by the Great Depression; its fate was sealed ironically by the 1937 creation of the Chicago Housing Authority, which sought to build affordable public housing for the city. However well-intentioned the project may have sounded, the results were disastrous. The largest housing projects by far were the 1940 Ida B. Wells projects, which were designed to &quot;warehouse&quot; Chicago's population of poor African-Americans in a district far away from white population centers, the Cabrini Green projects, which developed a reputation as the most violent housing projects in the nation, and the massive 1962 Robert Taylor Homes in Bronzeville, which were forced to house an additional 16,000 people beyond their intended 11,000 capacity. The Black Metropolis proved unable to cope with this massive influx of new, impoverished residents, and the urban blight that came from concentrating such a great number of them in one place. <br />
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Further damaging to Chicago's black population was the phenomenon of &quot;white flight&quot; that accompanied the introduction of African-Americans to Chicago neighborhoods. Unwilling to live beside black neighbors, many Chicagoans fled desegregation to the suburbs. This trend was accelerated by the practice of &quot;blockbusting,&quot; where unsavory real estate agents would fan racist fears in order to buy homes on the cheap. As a result, Chicago neighborhoods (with the notable exceptions of [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]) never truly integrated, and the social, educational, and economic networks that incoming African-Americans hoped to join disintegrated in the wake of fleeing white communities. During this period, Chicago experienced a huge population loss and large sections of the city became covered with vacant lots, which in turn created the conditions for crime to flourish. A number of Chicago's major roads, most notably the Dan Ryan Expressway, were built in part to segregate these areas from more prosperous ones like the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]].<br />
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In 1966, '''Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.''' decided to come north and chose Chicago as his first destination. However, from the moment of his arrival on the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]], King was utterly confounded. The death threats that followed his march through Marquette Park were challenge enough, but nowhere in the South was there a more expert player of politics than Chicago's Mayor Richard J. Daley. King left town frustrated and exhausted, but '''Rev. Jesse Jackson''' continued civil rights efforts in Chicago through his Operation PUSH. The 1983 election of '''Mayor Harold Washington''', the first black mayor of Chicago, was a watershed event for Chicago's African-American population, and although long battles with obstructionist white politicians lay ahead, it marked the moment when African-American elected officials became major, independent forces in Chicago.<br />
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Today, with a plurality of nearly 40%, Chicago's black population is the country's second largest, after New York. The broader South Side is the cultural center of Chicago's black community; it constitutes the largest single African-American neighborhood in the country and boasts the nation's greatest concentration of black-owned businesses. Chicagoans ignorant of these areas may tell you that they are dangerous and crime-ridden, but the reality is much more complex. There are strong, middle and upper class black communities throughout the city, some of the more prominent of which include [[Chicago/Bronzeville|upper Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park/Kenwood]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|South Shore]], and [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Beverly]]. <br />
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[[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] is the obvious destination for those interested in African-American history, although Kenwood also boasts interesting recent history, as it has been (or is) home to championship boxer Muhammad Ali, Nation of Islam leaders Elijah Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan, and '''President Barack Obama'''. No one should miss the '''DuSable Museum of African-American History''' in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], the first museum of African-American history in the United States. And if your interest is more precisely in African-American culture than history, head down to [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham and South Shore]] to enter the heart of Chicago's black community.<br />
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===Ethnic neighborhoods===<br />
[[Image:Chinatown%2C_Wentworth_Ave.jpg|thumb|300px|Wentworth Ave, Chinatown's main street]]<br />
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Chicago is among the most diverse cities in America, and many neighborhoods reflect the character and culture of the immigrants who established them. Some, however, do more than just reflect: they ''absorb'' you in a place that, for several blocks at a time, may as well be a chunk of another country, picked up and dropped near the shores of Lake Michigan. The best of Chicago's ethnic neighborhoods are completely uncompromised, and that makes them a real highlight for visitors.<br />
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Chicago's [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Chinatown]] is among the most active Chinatowns in the world. It even has its own stop on the CTA Red Line. It's on the South Side near [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]], birthplace of the Irish political power-brokers who have run Chicago government for most of the last century. More Irish communities exist on the [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side|Far Southwest Side]], where they even have an Irish castle to seal the deal. The [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]] houses enormous populations of Polish Highlanders and Mexicans, as well as reduced Lithuanian and Bohemian communities.<br />
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No serious Chicago gourmand would eat Indian food that didn't come from a restaurant on '''Devon Avenue''' in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]. It's paradise for spices, saris, and the latest Bollywood flicks. Lawrence Avenue in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Albany Park]] is sometimes called '''Seoul Drive''' for the Korean community there, and the Persian food on Kedzie Avenue nearby is simply astonishing. At the '''Argyle''' Red Line stop, by the intersection of Argyle and Broadway in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]], you'd be forgiven for wondering if you were still in America; Vietnamese, Thais, and Laotians share space on a few blocks of restaurants, grocery stores, and even dentists. Neither the Swedish settlers who built [[Chicago/Uptown|Andersonville]] or the Germans from [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]] are the dominant presence in those neighborhoods any more, but their identity is still present in restaurants, cultural centers, and other small discoveries to be made. Likewise, '''Little Italy''' and '''Greektown''' on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] survive only as restaurant strips. <br />
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A more contemporary experience awaits in [[Chicago/Pilsen|Pilsen]] and [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]], two neighborhoods on the Lower West Side where the Spanish signage outnumbers the English; in fact, Chicago has the second largest Mexican and Puerto Rican populations outside of their respective home countries. Pilsen and its arts scene is an especially an exciting place to visit.<br />
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It's hard to imagine displacement being a concern for the Polish community on the city's [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest]] sides. The '''Belmont-Central''' business district is what you might consider the epicenter of Polish activity,. Bars, restaurants, and dozens of other types of Polish businesses thrive on this strip, and on a smaller section of Milwaukee Avenue (between Roscoe and Diversey) in the vicinity of ''St. Hyacinth Basilica'' which bears the Polish name of '''Jackowo'''- [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Chicago's Polish Village]]. Polish Highlanders, or Górals, on the other hand dominate the city's [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]] with a cuisine and culture that is decidedly Balkan. A host of restaurants and cultural institutions visibly display the rustic touch of their Carpathian craft such as the '''Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America''' at Archer Avenue just northeast of its intersection with Pulaski Road.'''Taste of Polonia''', held over Labor Day weekend on the grounds of the Copernicus Foundation at the historic ''Gateway Theatre'', draws an annual attendance of about 50,000 people and is touted as the city's largest ethnic fest.<br />
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==Do==<br />
&lt;!-- This section is for general Chicago topics. Listings for individual attractions should go in the appropriate district articles, listed above --&gt;<br />
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===Beaches=== <br />
Chicago is not known as a beach destination, but Lake Michigan is the largest freshwater lake located entirely within the United States, and Chicagoans flock to its sandy shores. Anyone can show up and swim — there are no admission fees, miles of beaches are within walking distance of the Red Line, and almost none of the lakefront is spoiled by &quot;private&quot; beaches. Despite the latitude, the water is quite warm in the summer and early fall {{web|(check with the NOAA for temperatures [http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/lmofs/fore_temp.shtml]) }}. The Chicago shore has been called the second cleanest urban waterfront ''in the world'', although bacteria levels in the water do force occasional — but rare — beach closures (which are clearly posted at the beach, and online [http://chicagoparkdistrict.com/resources/beaches/]). Lifeguards will be posted (usually in a rowboat) if the beach is officially open.<br />
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Oak Street Beach and North Avenue Beach (in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] and [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]]) are the fashionable places to sun-tan and be seen, but [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]] has mile after mile of less pretentious sand and surf. [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park's]] Promontory Point is beautiful, and offers skyline views from its submerged beach by the rocks (although a swim there is ''technically'' against city rules). <br />
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===Parks===<br />
[[Image:Jackson Park, Osaka Garden.jpg|thumb|240px|The Osaka Garden on Jackson Park's Wooded Isle]]<br />
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Where there are beaches, there are lakefront parks. During the summer months, the parks are a destination for organized and impromptu volleyball and soccer games, chess matches, and plenty more, with tennis and basketball courts dotted along the way. <br />
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There are also terrific parks further away from the lake. In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], '''Grant Park''' hosts music festivals throughout the year, and '''Millennium Park''' is a fun destination for all ages, especially during the summer. In [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], '''Midway Park''' offers skating, and summer and winter gardens in the shadow of the academic giant, the University of Chicago, and '''Jackson Park''' has golf, more gardens and the legacy of the city's shining moment, the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition. In [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], '''Washington Park''' is one of the city's best places for community sports. And that's just a brief overview. Almost every neighborhood in Chicago has a beloved park.<br />
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===Events &amp; Festivals=== <br />
If you're ''absolutely'' determined and you plan carefully, you may be able to visit Chicago during a festival-less week. It's a challenge, though. Most neighborhoods, parishes, and service groups host their own annual festivals throughout the spring, summer, and fall [http://explorechicago.org/city/en/supporting_narrative/events___special_events/special_events/mose/chicago_neighborhood.html]. There are a few can't-miss city-wide events, though. In the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], Grant Park hosts '''Taste of Chicago''' in July, and four major music festivals: '''Blues Fest''' and '''Gospel Fest''' in June, '''Lollapalooza''' in August, and '''Jazz Fest''' over Labor Day Weekend. All but Lollapalooza are free. The Chicago-based music website '''Pitchfork Media''' also hosts their own annual three day festival of rock, rap, and more in the summer.<br />
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===Sports===<br />
With entries in every major professional sports league and several universities in the area, Chicago sports fans have a lot to keep them occupied. The '''Chicago Bears''' play football at Soldier Field in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] from warm September to frigid January. Since the baseball teams split the city in half, nothing seizes the Chicago sports consciousness like a playoff run from the Bears. Aspiring fans will be expected to be able to quote a minimum of two verses of the ''Super Bowl Shuffle'' from memory, tear up at the mention of Walter Payton, and provide arguments as to how Butkus, Singletary, and Urlacher represent stages in the evolution of the linebacker, with supporting evidence in the form of grunts, yells, and fists slammed on tables.<br />
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The '''Chicago Bulls''' play basketball at the United Center on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]. While quality of play and ticket prices may never reach Jordan-era mania, they're still an exciting team to watch, led by young star Derrick Rose. The '''Chicago Blackhawks''' share quarters with the Bulls. As one of the &quot;Original Six&quot; teams in professional hockey, the Blackhawks have a long history in their sport, and the team is experiencing a renaissance after capturing the Stanley Cup in 2010 for the first time in 49 years. Home games for both teams tend to sell out, but tickets can usually be found if you check around. Both the Bulls and the Blackhawks play from the end of October to the beginning of April.<br />
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It's baseball, though, in which the tribal fury of Chicago sports is best expressed. The '''Chicago Cubs''' play at Wrigley Field on the North Side, in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], and the '''Chicago White Sox''' play at U.S. Cellular Field (Comiskey Park, underneath the corporate naming rights) on the South Side, in [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Bridgeport]]. Both franchises have more than a century's worth of history, and both teams play 81 home games from April to the beginning of October. Everything else is a matter of fiercely held opinion. The two three-game series when the teams play each other are the hottest sports tickets in Chicago during any given year. If someone offers you tickets to a game, pounce.<br />
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There are plenty of smaller leagues in the city as well, although some play their games in the suburbs. The '''Chicago Fire''' (Major League Soccer) and '''Chicago Red Stars''' (Women's Professional Soccer) play soccer in the suburb of Bridgeview, the '''Chicago Sky''' play women's professional basketball at the UIC Pavilion on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]], and the '''Windy City Rollers''' skate flat-track roller derby in neighboring [[Cicero]]. Minor league baseball teams dot the suburbs as well.<br />
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While college athletics are not one of Chicago's strong points, Northwestern football (in [[Evanston]]) and DePaul basketball (off-campus in [[Rosemont]]) show occasional signs of life. If you find yourself in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], ask someone how the University of Chicago football team is doing — it's a surefire conversation starter.<br />
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===Theater===<br />
[[Image:Gateway Theatre (Chicago).jpg||thumb|250px|right| The Gateway Theatre in [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Jefferson Park]], seat of the Copernicus Foundation. The theater's Baroque spire is a replica of the Royal Castle in [[Warsaw]].]]<br />
Modern American comedy — the good parts, at least — was born when a group of young actors from [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]] formed The Compass Players, fusing intelligence and a commitment to character with an improvisational spark. One strand of their topical, hyper-literate comedy led, directly or indirectly, to Shelly Berman, Mike Nichols &amp; Elaine May, Lenny Bruce, ''M*A*S*H'' and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''; another strand, namely '''The Second City''', led to ''Saturday Night Live'' and a pretty huge percentage of the funny movies and television of the last thirty years. Still in Chicago's [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Old Town]] (and few other places as well), still smart and still funny, Second City does two-act sketch revues followed by one act of improv. If you only see one show while you're in Chicago, Second City is a good choice.<br />
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Improvisational comedy as a performance art form is a big part of the Chicago theater scene. At [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] and [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]] theaters like '''The Annoyance Theater''', '''I.O.''', and '''The Playground''', young actors take classes and perform shows that range from ragged to inspired throughout the week. Some are fueled by the dream of making the cast of ''SNL'' or Tina Fey's latest project, and some just enjoy doing good work on-stage, whether or not they're getting paid for it (and most aren't). There's no guarantee that you'll see something great on any given night, but improv tends to be cheaper than anything else in town, and it can definitely be worth the risk. Another popular theater experience is the comedy/drama hybrid '''Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind''', offering 30 plays in 60 minutes every weekend in [[Chicago/Uptown|Andersonville]].<br />
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'''Steppenwolf''', in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], is Chicago's other landmark theater. Founded in 1976, they have a history of taking risks onstage, and they have the ensemble to back it up, with heavyweights like Joan Allen, John Malkovich, and Gary Sinise. Steppenwolf isn't cheap any more, but they mix good, young actors with their veteran ensemble and still choose interesting, emotionally-charged scripts. It's the best place in town to see modern, cutting-edge theater with a bit of &quot;I went to...&quot; name-drop value for the folks back home. <br />
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Most of the prestige theaters, including the '''Broadway in Chicago''' outlets, are located in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] or the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]. Tickets are expensive and can be tough to get, but shows destined for [[New_York_City/Theater_District|Broadway]] like ''The Producers'' often make their debut here. For the cost-conscious, the '''League of Chicago Theatres''' operates '''Hot Tix''' [http://hottix.org/], which offers short-notice half-price tickets to many Chicago shows.<br />
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One theater to see, regardless of the production, is '''The Auditorium''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. It's a masterpiece of architecture and of performance space. Designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, who were on a commission from syndicate of local business magnates to bring some culture to the heathen city, it was the tallest building in Chicago and one of the tallest in the world at the time of its opening in 1889, and it's still an impressive sight, inside and out.<br />
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===Bicycles=== <br />
Chicago has a strong, passionate bicycle culture, and riding opportunities abound. Pedaling your way around the city is one of the best ways to get to know Chicago. And the terrain is mostly flat — a boon for easy-going cyclists! If you don't have a bike, that's no problem. '''Bobby's Bike Hike''' [http://bobbysbikehike.com/] has the official city concession, with a central bike rental location near Navy Pier. During the summer, they have several additional rental locations along the lakefront.<br />
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The scenic '''Lakefront Trail''' runs for 18 continuous miles along the city's beautiful shoreline, from Hollywood Beach in Edgewater to the magnificent South Shore Cultural Center. Even while riding at a moderate pace, traveling downtown along the lakefront can be faster than driving or taking the CTA! If you're starting from downtown, you'll be at the approximate midpoint of the trail. Head south if you want a speed workout with fewer crowds, or north to see more of the locals at play.<br />
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Further inland, many streets have bike lanes, and signs direct riders to major bike routes. The City of Chicago maintains helpful '''bicycle resources online''' [http://chicagobikes.org/], including major civic bike events and (slow) interactive maps of major streets with bike lanes.<br />
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Bicyclists have to follow the same &quot;rules of the road&quot; as automobiles (stop at red lights and stop signs, etc). Bicycle riding is not allowed on sidewalks (except for children under age 12). This rule is strictly enforced in higher density neighborhoods, mostly areas near the lake, and is considered a criminal misdemeanor offense. You must walk your bike on the sidewalk.<br />
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CTA buses are all equipped with front bike racks, which carry up to two bicycles, and 'L' trains permit two bicycles per car ''except'' during rush hour (roughly 7-9:30AM and 3:30-6:30PM weekdays, excluding major holidays on which the CTA is running on a Sunday schedule). With the buses, inspect the rack closely for wear or damage and be absolutely certain that the bike is secured before you go, lest it fall off in traffic (and be immediately flattened by the bus). The CTA will fight tooth and nail to avoid reimbursing you for the loss, and the driver might not stop to let you retrieve it.<br />
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Bikes may be rented from the North Avenue Beach House ([[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]]), Navy Pier, ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]), the Millennium Park bike station ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]), and from several bike shops in the city. Another option is to contact the terrific '''Working Bikes Cooperative''' [http://workingbikes.org/], an all-volunteer group of bike lovers that collects and refurbishes bikes, and then sells a few in Chicago to support their larger project of shipping bikes to Africa and South America. You could buy a cheap bike and donate it back when you're done, or even spend a day or two working as a volunteer.<br />
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For an opportunity to connect with the local bike community and take a memorable trip through the city, don't miss the '''Critical Mass''' [http://chicagocriticalmass.org/] rides on the last Friday of every month, starting from Daley Plaza in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] (5:30PM). With numbers on their side, the hundreds or even thousands of bike riders wind up taking over entire streets along the way, with themed routes that are voted upon at the outset of the trip. Anyone is free to join or fall away wherever they like. Police are generally cooperative — take cues from more experienced riders.<br />
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==Learn==<br />
Several major and minor universities call Chicago home. The '''University of Chicago''' and '''Northwestern University''' are undoubtedly the most prestigious among them. The University of Chicago's Gothic campus is in [[Chicago/Hyde Park|Hyde Park]], which is, famously, &quot;home to more Nobel Prizes per square kilometer than any other neighborhood on Earth.&quot; Further north, in the [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]] area, is the '''Illinois Institute of Technology''', which has notable programs in engineering and architecture. '''Northwestern University''' has its main campus in [[Evanston]], just north of Chicago, but it also has campuses in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] off Michigan Ave, including its medical, law, and business schools.<br />
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On the North Side, there are two major Catholic universities with over a hundred years in Chicago: '''DePaul University''', in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]], and '''Loyola University''', in [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]]. Both schools also have campuses in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. '''Rush University Medical School''', on the Near West Side, traces its roots back even further, to 1837. Dating back to 1891, '''North Park University''' serves as another fine private liberal arts university in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Albany Park]] on the Northwest Side. <br />
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A handful of schools in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] attract students in the creative arts. '''Columbia College''' has an enviable location on Michigan Avenue, and its programs in film are continually noted as one of the top in the nation, along with its programs in creative writing and photography which are also are well-regarded. The '''School of the Art Institute''' is generally regarded as one of the top three art and design schools in the country and is one of the few art schools that does not require its students to declare majors. The '''Illinois Institute of Art''' specializes in different fields of art and design, with a top-notch culinary program. The main campus of '''Roosevelt University''', former home to Chicago heavyweights like Harold Washington and Ramsey Lewis, is in the Auditorium Theatre building. <br />
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To the west of the Loop, built over the remains of Little Italy and Maxwell Street neighborhoods is the brutalist [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] campus of the '''University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)''', the second-largest member of the Illinois state university system.<br />
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The '''City Colleges of Chicago''' [http://ccc.edu/] are scattered throughout the city. They include '''Harold Washington College''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]), '''Harry S. Truman College''' ([[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]), '''Malcolm X College''' ([[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]), '''Wright College''' ([[Chicago/Far West Side|Humboldt Park]]), '''Kennedy-King College''' ([[Chicago/Southwest Side|Englewood]]), '''Daley College''' ([[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]), and '''Olive-Harvey College''' ([[Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side]]).<br />
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==Work==<br />
[[Image:Loop, L overhead.jpg|thumb|240px|The L rumbling overhead in [[Chicago/Loop|the Loop]]]]<br />
Chicago still loves Carl Sandburg and his poems, but the city shucked off the hog butcher's apron a long time ago. In terms of industry, there's little that distinguishes Chicago from any other major city in America, save for size. The '''Chicago Board of Trade''' [http://cbot.com/] and '''Chicago Mercantile Exchange''' [http://cme.com/] are among the biggest employers, with stables of traders and stock wizards. '''Boeing''' [http://boeing.com/] moved its headquarters to Chicago amid much fanfare a few years ago; '''United Airlines''' [http://united.com/] is another international company with headquarters in town. '''Abbott Labs''' [http://abbott.com/], just outside city limits, is the biggest employer of foreign nationals in scientific fields. The Big Five consulting firms all have one or more offices in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]. And there's always construction work in Chicago, but with a strong union presence in the city, it's not easy for a newcomer to break into without an introduction. <br />
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For younger workers, the museums in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] are always looking for low-paid, high-enthusiasm guides, and the retail outlets on the [[Chicago/Near North|Magnificent Mile]] also need seasonal help. And with so many colleges and universities in the city, study abroad opportunities abound.<br />
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In Chicago, business is politics, and there's one word in Chicago politics: '''clout'''. The principal measure of clout is how many jobs you can arrange for your friends. Hence, if you want to work in Chicago, start asking around — email someone from your country's embassy or consulate and see if they have any leads, or figure out if there is a cultural association that might be able to help you. It's no coincidence that the Mayor's Office [http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/home.do] employs scores of [[Ireland|Irish]] workers every summer. If you happen to contact somebody who met the right person at a fundraiser a few days ago, you might fall into a cushy job or a dream internship; it's worth a try.<br />
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==Buy==<br />
Whatever you need, you can buy it in Chicago, on a budget or in luxury. The most famous shopping street in Chicago is a stretch of Michigan Avenue known as '''The Magnificent Mile''', in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] area. It includes many designer boutiques, and several multi-story malls anchored by large department stores like 900 N Michigan and Water Tower Place. Additional brands are available from off-strip shops to the south and west of Michigan.<br />
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'''State Street''' used to be a great street for department stores in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], but it's now a shadow of its former self, with Carson Pirie Scott's landmark Louis Sullivan-designed building closed, and invading forces from [[New York City|New York]] holding the former Marshall Field's building hostage under the name Macy's. Discounts can still be found at places like Filene's Basement, though.<br />
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For a classic Chicago souvenir, pick up a box of '''Frango Mints''', much-loved mint chocolates that were originally offered by Marshall Field's and are still available at Macy's stores. Although no longer made in the thirteenth-floor kitchen of the State Street store, the original recipe appears to still be in use, which pleases the loyal crowds fond of the flavor — and too bad for anyone looking to avoid trans-fats.<br />
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However, for a more unique shopping experience, check out the fun, eclectic stores in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]], or the cutting-edge shops in [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] and [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]], which is also the place to go for '''music fiends''' — although there are also key vinyl drops in other parts of the city as well. '''Southport''' in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] and '''Armitage''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] also have browser-friendly fashion boutiques.<br />
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For '''art''' or '''designer home goods''', River North is the place to go. Centered between the Merchandise Mart and the Chicago Avenue Brown Line &quot;L&quot; stop in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], River North's gallery district boasts the largest arts and design district in North America outside of Manhattan. The entire area is walkable and makes for fun window-shopping.<br />
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Goods from around the world are available at the '''import stores''' in Chicago's many ethnic neighborhoods; check [[Chicago#Ethnic_neighborhoods|See]] for descriptions and district articles for directions.<br />
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If you are the type that loves to browse through '''independent bookstores''', [[Chicago/Hyde Park#Buy|Hyde Park]] has a stunning assortment of dusty used bookstores selling beat-up-paperbacks to rare 17th century originals, and the world's largest academic bookstore. '''Printer's Row''' in the [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] is also a great stop for book lovers.<br />
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==Eat==<br />
[[Image:Chicago deep dish pizza.jpg|thumb|240px|print=inline|Chicago's deep dish pizza is incredible]]<br />
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Chicago is one of the great restaurant towns in America. If you're looking for a specific kind of cuisine, check out the [[Chicago#Ethnic_neighborhoods|neighborhoods]]. [[Chicago/Near West Side|Greektown]], the [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Devon Ave]] Desi corridor, [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown|Chinatown]], and [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham]]'s soul food and barbecue are just the tip of the iceberg. Other areas are more eclectic: [[Chicago/North Lincoln|Lincoln Square]] and Albany Park have unrivaled Middle Eastern, German, and Korean food, while [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]] offers nearly the whole [[Southeast Asia]]n continent with Ghanaian, Nigerian, contemporary American, stylish Japanese, and down-home Swedish a few blocks away. <br />
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If you're interested in celebrity chefs and unique creations, [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] and [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] have plenty of award-winners. [[Chicago/Near North|River North]] has several good upscale restaurants, but don't waste your time on tourist traps like Rainforest Cafe, Cheesecake Factory, or the Hard Rock Cafe. In fact, you should never submit to standing in line — there are always equally good restaurants nearby. No matter what you enjoy, you'll have a chance to eat well in Chicago, and you won't need to spend a lot of money doing it — unless you want to, of course.<br />
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But while Chicago has a world class dining scene downtown, it is the low-end where it truly distinguishes itself. No other city on earth takes fast food so seriously; for those who don't concern themselves with calorie counting, Chicago is cheap, greasy heaven. Head northwest and you'll find sausage shops and old-style Polish restaurants that carry on as if health food and celebrity chefs never happened in '''Jackowo'''- [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Chicago's Polish Village]], as well as at [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Belmont-Central]]- an Eastern European culinary heaven. Quite a few other local &quot;culinary specialties&quot; in particular deserve further description.<br />
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===Chicago pizza===<br />
Chicago's most prominent contribution to world cuisine might be the '''deep dish pizza'''. Delivery chains as far away as [[Kyoto]] market &quot;Chicago-style pizza,&quot; but the only place to be sure you're getting the real thing is in Chicago. To make a deep dish pizza, a thin layer of dough is laid into a deep round pan and pulled up the sides, and then meats and vegetables — Italian sausage, onions, bell peppers, mozzarella cheese, and more — are lined on the crust. At last, tomato sauce goes on top, and the pizza is baked. It's gooey, messy, not recommended by doctors, and delicious. When you dine on deep dish pizza, don't wear anything you were hoping to wear again soon. Some nationally-known deep dish pizza hubs are Pizzeria UNO and DUE, Gino's East, Giordano's, and Lou Malnati's, but plenty of local favorites exist. Ask around — people won't be shy about giving you their opinion.<br />
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But deep dish is not the end of the line in a city that takes its pizza so seriously. Chicago also prides itself on its distinctive thin-crust pizza and stuffed pizzas. The Chicago '''thin crust''' has a thin, cracker-like, crunchy crust, which somehow remains soft and doughy on the top side. Toppings and a lot of a thin, spiced Italian tomato sauce go under the mozzarella cheese, and the pizza is sliced into squares. If you are incredulous that Chicago's pizza preeminence extends into the realm of the thin crust, head [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Mid-range|south of Midway]] to Vito and Nick's, which is widely regarded among local gourmands as the standard bearer for the city.<br />
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The '''stuffed pizza''' is a monster, enough to make an onlooker faint. Start with the idea of a deep dish, but then find a much deeper dish and stuff a ''lot'' more toppings under the cheese. Think deep-dish apple pie, but pizza. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for pizza places to make one of these and allow 3-4 extra notches on your belt for the ensuing weight gain. Arguably the best stuffed pizza in town is at Bella Bacino's in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], which somehow is not greasy, but other excellent vendors include Giordano's, Gino's, and Edwardo's.<br />
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===The Chicago hot dog===<br />
[[Image:Chicago hot dog.jpg|thumb|260px|print=inline|A charred Chicago-style hot dog with all the trappings]]<br />
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This may come as a surprise to New Yorkers, but the Chicago hot dog is the king of all hot dogs — indeed, it is considered the '''perfect hot dog'''. Perhaps due to the city's history of Polish and German immigration, Chicago takes its dogs ''way'' more seriously than the rest of the country. A Chicago hot dog is always all-beef (usually Vienna beef), always served on a poppy-seed bun, and topped with what looks like a full salad of mustard, diced tomatoes, a dill pickle spear, sport (chili) peppers, a generous sprinkling of celery salt, diced onion, and a sweet-pickle relish endemic-to-Chicago that is dyed an odd, vibrant bright-green color. It's a full meal, folks.<br />
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Ketchup is regarded as an abomination on a proper Chicago-style hot dog. Self-respecting establishments will refuse orders to put the ketchup on the dog, and many have signs indicating that they don't serve it; truly serious hot dog joints don't even allow the condiment on the premises. The reason for Chicago's ketchup aversion is simple — ketchup contains sugar, which overwhelms the taste of the beef and prevents its proper enjoyment. Hence, ketchup's replacement with diced tomatoes. Similarly, Chicagoans eschew fancy mustards that would overwhelm the flavor of the meat in favor of simple yellow mustard. And for the hungry visiting New Yorkers, the same goes for sugary sauerkraut — ''just no''.<br />
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At most hot dog places, you will have the option to try a '''Maxwell Street Polish''' instead. Born on the eponymous street of the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]], the Polish is an all-beef sausage on a bun, with fewer condiments than the Chicago hot dog: usually just grilled onions, mustard, and a few chili peppers.<br />
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In a tragic, bizarre twist of fate, the areas of Chicago most visited by tourists (i.e., [[Chicago/Loop|the Loop]]) lack proper Chicago hot dog establishments. If you are downtown and want to experience a Chicago hot dog done right, the nearest safe bet is [[Chicago/Near North#Eat|Portillo's]]. Although, if you're up for a little hot dog adventure, you can eat one right at the source, at the [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town#Budget|Vienna Beef Factory deli]]. Sadly, both baseball parks botch their dogs.<br />
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===Italian Beef===<br />
The Italian Beef sandwich completes the Chicago triumvirate of tasty greasy treats. The main focus of the sandwich is the beef, and serious vendors will serve meat of a surprisingly good quality, which is slow-roasted, and thinly shaved before being loaded generously onto chewy, white, Italian-style bread. Two sets of options will come flying at you, so prepare yourself: sweet peppers or hot, and dipped or not. The &quot;sweet&quot; peppers are sautéed bell peppers, while the hots are a mixed Chicago giardiniera. The dip, of course, is a sort of French dip of the sandwich back into the beef broth. (Warning: dipped Italian Beefs are sloppy!) If you are in the mood, you may be able to get an Italian Beef with cheese melted over the beef, although travelers looking for the &quot;authentic Italian Beef&quot; perhaps should not stray so far from tradition. <br />
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The Italian Beef probably was invented by Italian-American immigrants working in the Union Stockyards on the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]], who could only afford to take home the tough, lowest-quality meat and therefore had a need to slow-roast it, shave it into thin slices, and dip it just to get it in chewable form. But today the sandwich has found a lucrative home downtown, where it clogs the arteries and delights the taste buds of the Chicago workforce during lunch break. Some of the city's favorite downtown vendors include Luke's Italian Beef in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and Mr. Beef in the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], while the Portillo's chain is another solid option.<br />
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{{infobox|Four fried chickens and a coke...|With the Great Migration came much of what was best about the South: blues, jazz, barbecue — but following a legendary meal at which a young, hungry Harold Pierce saw the last piece of bird flee his grasp into the mouth of the local preacher, Harold made it his mission to add fried chicken to that prestigious list, and to ensure that no South Side Chicagoan ever run out. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Harold's Chicken Shack, a.k.a. the Fried Chicken King, is a South Side institution like no other. The Chicago-style fried chicken is considered by many connoisseurs to be some of the nation's best (certainly in the North), and it is fried in a home-style mix of beef tallow and vegetable oil, then covered with sauce (hot or mild). Crucially, it is always cooked to order — ensuring that essential layer of grease between the skin and the meat. A half chicken meal can come as cheap as $4 and includes coleslaw, white bread, and sauce-drenched fries — make like a local and wrap the fries in the bread. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Initially, the fried chicken chain spread throughout black neighborhoods, which were ignored by other fast food chains, but in later years the franchise has extended its greasy fingers to the West and North Sides, as well as downtown. While chances are you will not find better fried chicken outside of Harold's walls, the quality, pricing, and character vary between individual locations. Your safest bets are on the South Side — if you are served through bullet-proof glass under signs bearing a chef chasing a chicken with a hatchet, rest assured you are getting the best.}}<br />
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==Drink==<br />
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Chicago is a drinking town, and you can find bars and pubs in every part of the city. It is believed that Chicago has the second highest bars-per-capita in the U.S. (after [[San Francisco]]). Be prepared to be asked for identification to verify your age, even at neighborhood dive bars. '''Smoking''' is banned in Chicago bars (and restaurants). <br />
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The best places to drink for drinking's sake are [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] and neighboring [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Logan Square and Bucktown]], which have a world-class stock of quality dive bars and local craft breweries. [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|North Center]] and Roscoe Village are also a great (and underrated) destination for the art of the beer garden. Beware the bars in [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]] near Wrigley Field, though, which are packed on weekends, and jam-packed all day whenever the Cubs are playing. Just to the south, [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] has bars and beer gardens to indulge those who miss college, and some trendy clubs for the neighborhood's notorious high-spending Trixies. <br />
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Ill-informed tourists converge upon the nightclubs of [[Chicago/Near North|Rush and Division St]]. The city's best DJs spin elsewhere, the best drinks are served elsewhere, and the cheapest beers are served elsewhere; the hottest of-the-moment clubs and in-the-know celebrities are usually elsewhere, too. For the last few years the [[Chicago/Near West Side|West Loop's]] warehouse bars were the place to be, but more recently the River North neighborhood has been making a comeback. Still, the Rush/Division bars do huge business. This area includes the &quot;Viagra Triangle,&quot; where Chicago's wealthy older men hang out with women in their early 20s. Streeterville, immediately adjacent, exchanges the dance floors for high-priced hotel bars and piano lounges.<br />
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Although good dance music can be found in Wicker Park and the surrounding area, the best places to dance in the city are the expensive see and be seen clubs in River North and the open-to-all (except perhaps bachelorette parties) clubs in gay-friendly [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Boystown]], which are a lot of fun for people of any sexual orientation.<br />
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===Jazz and Blues===<br />
{{web|''See [[The_Jazz_Track#Day_5_.28Saturday.29:_Visiting_Chicago|The Jazz Track]] for a wealth of information about current and historic jazz clubs in Chicago.''}}<br />
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The Lower Mississippi River Valley is known for its music; [[New Orleans]] has jazz, and [[Memphis]] has blues. Chicago, though located far away from the valley, has both. Former New Orleans and Memphis residents brought jazz and blues to Chicago as they came north for a variety of reasons: the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 brought a lot of itinerant musicians to town, and the city's booming economy kept them coming through the [[Chicago#African-American history|Great Migration]]. Chicago was the undisputed capital of early jazz between 1917-1928, wih masters like Joe King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Noone, Johnny Dodds, Earl Hines, and Jelly Roll Morton. Most of Chicago's historic jazz clubs are on the South Side, particularly in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], but the North Side has the can't-miss '''Green Mill''' in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]. <br />
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The blues were in Chicago long before the car chase and the mission from God, but ''The Blues Brothers'' sealed Chicago as the home of the blues in the popular consciousness. Fortunately, the city has the chops to back that up. '''Maxwell Street''' [http://maxwellstreet.org] ([[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]]) was the heart and soul of Chicago blues, but the wrecking ball, driven by the University of Illinois at Chicago, has taken a brutal toll. Residents have been fighting to save what remains. For blues history, it doesn't get much better than '''Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation''' ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]), and [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]], the former &quot;Black Metropolis,&quot; is a key stop as well. Performance venues run the gamut from tiny, cheap blues bars all over the city to big, expensive places like '''Buddy Guy's Legends''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]) and the original '''House of Blues''' ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]).<br />
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But don't let yourself get ''too'' wrapped up in the past, because Chicago blues is anything but. No other city in the world can compete with Chicago's long list of blues-soaked neighborhood dives and lounges. The North Side's blues clubs favor tradition in their music, and are usually the most accessible to visitors, but offer a slightly watered down experience from the funkier, more authentic blues bars on the South and Far West Sides, where most of Chicago's blues musicians live and hang. If one club could claim to be the home of the real Chicago blues, '''Lee's Unleaded Blues''' in [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]] would probably win the title. But there are scores of worthy blues joints all around the city (many of which are a lot easier to visit via public transport). A visit to one of these off-the-beaten-path blues dives is considerably more adventurous than a visit to the touristy House of Blues, but the experiences born of such adventures have been known to reward visitors with a life-long passion for the blues.<br />
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Although playing second fiddle to the blues in the city's collective consciousness, jazz thrives in Chicago, too, thanks in no small part to members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and their residencies at clubs like '''The Velvet Lounge''' and '''The Jazz Showcase''' (both of which see regular national acts) ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]), '''The New Apartment Lounge''' ([[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore|Chatham-South Shore]]) and '''The Hideout''' ([[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]]), with more expensive national touring acts downtown at '''The Chicago Theater''' ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]). If you are staying downtown, the Velvet Lounge will be your best bet, as it is an easy cab ride, and its high-profile performances will rarely disappoint.<br />
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Fans should time their visits to coincide with '''Blues Fest''' in June, and '''Jazz Fest''' over Labor Day Weekend. Both take place in Grant Park ([[Chicago/Loop|Loop]]).<br />
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===Concerts===<br />
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[[Chicago/Wicker Park|Wicker Park]] and [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown|Bucktown]] are the main place to go for indie rock shows: the '''Double Door''' and the '''Empty Bottle''' are the best-known venues, but there are plenty of smaller ones as well. In [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center|Lakeview]], the '''Metro''' is a beloved concert hole, with '''Schubas''', '''Lincoln Hall''', '''The Vic''', and the '''Abbey Pub''' nearby (the latter on the [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side]]). Other mid-sized rock, hip-hop and R&amp;B shows take place at the '''Riviera''' and the awesome '''Aragon Ballroom''' in [[Chicago/Uptown|Uptown]]. The [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]] has become an underrated destination for great shows as well.<br />
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[[Image:Chicago theater.jpg|thumb|240px|The legendary Chicago Theater]]<br />
The '''Park West''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] has light jazz, light rock, and other shows you'd sit down for; so does '''Navy Pier''' ([[Chicago/Near North|Near North]]), particularly in the summer. The venerable '''Chicago Theater''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] is better-known for its sign than for anything else, but it has rock, jazz, gospel, and spoken-word performances by authors like David Sedaris. The world-renowned '''Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO)''' is the main bulwark in the city for classical and classy jazz, with occasional curve-balls like Björk. You'll find musicians from the CSO doing outreach all over the city, along with their counterparts at the '''Lyric Opera'''. Both are in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]].<br />
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A few big concerts are held at the '''UIC Pavilion''', the '''Congress Theater''', and the '''United Center''' on the [[Chicago/Near West Side|Near West Side]] every year, and some ''huge'' concerts have taken place at '''Soldier Field''' ([[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]). The '''Petrillo Bandshell''' in '''Grant Park''' and the '''Pritzker Pavilion''' in '''Millennium Park''', both in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], tend to host big, eclectic shows and festivals in the summer, which are sometimes free. <br />
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Otherwise, most big shows are out in the suburbs, primarily at the '''Allstate Arena''' and the '''Rosemont Theater''' in [[Rosemont]], the '''Sears Centre''' in Hoffman Estates, the '''First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre''' in Tinley Park, '''Star Plaza''' in [[Indiana]], and the '''Alpine Valley Music Theater''' over the [[Wisconsin]] border. You'll also have to head out to the suburbs for '''Ravinia''', which features upscale classical, jazz, and blues outdoors throughout the summer. {{web|See [[Chicagoland]] for details on suburban venues.}}<br />
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==Sleep==<br />
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&lt;!-- do not put individual listings here - put them on the page for the district where they are located --&gt;<br />
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Chicago hosts many major conventions each year and has plenty of places to stay. The majority are either at [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare Airport]] or downtown in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] (near the Magnificent Mile). If you want to explore the city, aim for downtown — a hotel near O'Hare is good for visiting one thing and one thing only, and that's O'Hare. However, if you have a specific interest in mind, there are hotels throughout the city, and getting away from downtown will give you more of a sense of other neighborhoods. You'll appreciate that if you're in town for more than a couple of days. Make sure that where you're staying is within your comfort level before committing to stay there, though. More far flung transient hotels will be suitable for those seeking to relive Jack Kerouac's seedy adventures around the country, but may alarm and disgust the average traveler.<br />
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Budget-priced places are usually pretty far from the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], so when you're booking, remember that Chicago is vast. Travelers on a budget should consider accommodations away from the city center which can be easily reached via any of the several CTA train lines. There is a [[hostel]] in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] and two others near the universities in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Lincoln Park]] and [[Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park]], all of which are interesting neighborhoods in their own right, and close to the L for access to the rest of the city. For deals on mid-range hotels, there are good options far out from the center by [[Chicago/Southwest Side#Sleep|Midway]] and in [[Chicago/North Lincoln|North Lincoln]].<br />
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==Contact==<br />
===Internet===<br />
The first Internet cafe in the United States was opened in Chicago, but they never really caught on here. There are still a few, though; check individual district articles. If you have a computer with you, free wireless Internet access is now standard-issue at coffee shops throughout the city including major ones like Starbucks. Most hotels above the transient level offer free Wi-Fi, too.<br />
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The good news is that all branches of the '''Chicago Public Library''' system offer '''free internet access''', via public terminals and free, password-free, public wireless. If you do not have a Chicago library card, but you have a photo ID that shows you do not live in Chicago, you can get a temporary permit from the library information desk. (If you ''are'' from Chicago and don't have a library card, though, all you can get is a stern look and a brief lecture on how Chicagoans need to support the library system.) The most centrally located branch is the giant '''Harold Washington Library''' in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], but there are branch libraries in every part of the city — again, see individual district articles. Only Harold Washington and the two regional libraries ([[Chicago/North Lincoln|Sulzer]] and [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Woodson]]) are open on Sundays.<br />
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===Telephones===<br />
'''312''' was the area code for all of Chicago for a long time; it's still the code of choice for the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]], and most of the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]] and [[Chicago/Near South|Near South]]. '''773''' surrounds the center, covering everything else within city limits.<br />
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Suburban areas close to the city use '''847''' (north/northwest), '''708''' (south), '''815''' (southwest), and '''630''' (west).<br />
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==Stay safe==<br />
[[Image:Chicago violent crime map 05-08.png|thumb|350px|Violent crime rates by neighborhood]]<br />
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As in almost the entire United States, dial '''911''' to get emergency help. Dial '''311''' for all non-emergency situations in Chicago.<br />
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Despite a big decline in the crime rate from the 1970s and 1980s, Chicago is still a big city with big city problems. There are run-down areas within a few blocks of some well-traveled places such as near the United Center and US Cellular Field. The majority of the city's violent crimes occur within a relatively small number of neighborhoods well off the beaten path in the South and West Sides, but given the chance nature of crime, you should exercise the usual precautions wherever you go. Even in a neighborhood with a bad reputation, though, you might still have a perfectly good time, as long as it falls within your comfort level.<br />
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Take caution in the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] at night; after working hours, the Loop gets quiet and dark in a hurry west of State Street, but you'll be fine near hotels and close to Michigan Avenue and the lake. When disembarking a crowded CTA train, especially in the downtown-area subways, be wary of purse snatchers.<br />
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Beggars are common [[Chicago/Loop|downtown]]. They are very unlikely to pose any kind of problem, though. Some sell a local newspaper called ''Streetwise'' to make a living.<br />
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&lt;!--PRINT<br />
[[Image:Chicago violent crime map 05-08 print.png|print=fullpage]]<br />
PRINT--&gt;<br />
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In general, common sense will keep you safe in Chicago: avoid unfamiliar side streets at night, stay out of alleys at night, know where you're going when you set out, stick to crowded areas, and keep a $20 bill on hand for cab fare as a bail-out option. <br />
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Dress appropriately for the weather. Chicago's winter is famously windy and cold, so cover exposed skin and wear layers in the winter, but heat exhaustion is an equal risk in the summer months, especially July and August. Stay off the road during a snowstorm. Chicago's streets and sanitation department generally does a good job clearing the major roads in the center of the city, but the neighborhoods can take longer, and the construction-littered expressways are anyone's guess.<br />
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==Cope==<br />
===Publications===<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Tribune&quot; alt=&quot;The Trib&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagotribune.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Tribune is Chicago's oldest daily, recently converted into a tabloid format for newsstand purchases. New ownership has shed much of the Trib's former prestige with a debt-leveraged purchase and forced bankruptcy, widespread staff layoffs, and an ill-advised redesign.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Sun-Times&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://suntimes.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Sun-Times is Chicago's other &quot;major&quot; newspaper. It has a long-standing reputation for aggressive (some might say &quot;sensationalist&quot;) investigative journalism. It has also been teetering on the verge of oblivion for some time, but at least it has Roger Ebert.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Redeye&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://redeyechicago.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Redeye is a free weekdays-only newspaper produced by the Tribune. Although its covers appear to report from some parallel universe where topics like sandwiches and being tired at work are the top stories of the day, it does have basic news coverage inside along with entertainment gossip.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Defender&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagodefender.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Defender is Chicago's biggest African-American daily, and it played a major role in the city's African-American history. Its distribution network today is comparatively small, though.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Hola Hoy&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://hoyinternet.com/noticias/localidades/chicago/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Hola Hoy produces a free Spanish-language newspaper with wide distribution.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;The Chicago Reader&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagoreader.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;The Reader is a free weekly newspaper distributed throughout the city each Wednesday. It includes extensive listings of arts, music, and events. Nobody knows more about Chicago than the Reader, but it's definitely oriented toward locals.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Crain's Chicago Business&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagobusiness.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; Crain's is a long-standing weekly newspaper covering the Chicago area business community, with a dash of politics and lifestyle — definitely worth a look if you're in town on business.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;New City&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://newcitychicago.com/chicago&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;New City is a free weekly alternative arts and entertainment magazine, distributed every Wednesday. Event listings and local content are skimpy, but it is free.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Time Out Chicago&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://timeoutchicago.com&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Time Out produces a weekly magazine available at most newsstands and bookstores. Its listings for events, bars, and restaurants are by far the most comprehensive and easiest to use for visitors to the city.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* &lt;listing name=&quot;Windy City Times&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://windycitytimes.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;Free weekly LGBT newspaper.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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===Religious services===<br />
[[Image:Willmette how.jpg|thumb|300px|The spectacular Bahá'í Temple]]<br />
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There are places of worship all over the city; the front desk of your hotel will almost certainly be able to direct you to one nearby. If not, though, the following are centrally located in either the [[Chicago/Loop|Loop]] or the [[Chicago/Near North|Near North]], unless otherwise noted.<br />
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For churches of specific Orthodoxies, check in neighborhoods that feature communities with ties to that region. There's a majestic Orthodox church in [[Chicago/Wicker Park|Ukrainian Village]], for example. Evangelical Christian ministries are mostly on the South Side, with some historic churches in [[Chicago/Bronzeville|Bronzeville]]. For the Baha'i faith, visit the '''Baha'i Temple''' in [[Wilmette]], easily accessible by the CTA Purple Line.<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Belmont Red Line&quot; address=&quot;540 W Melrose St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 248-9200&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://asbi.org/&quot;&gt; Modern Orthodox Judaism. In a remarkably beautiful building by the lake. Shacharit Su 8:30AM, M,Th 6:45AM, Tu,W,F 7AM; Mincha Su-Th 7:45PM. &lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Armitage Baptist Church&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Logan Square Blue Line&quot; address=&quot; 2451 N Kedzie Blvd.&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 384-4673&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://armitagechurch.org/&quot;&gt;Sunday worship 9:30, 11AM, and 6PM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4N739 IL Route 59, Bartlett&quot; phone=&quot;+1 630 213 2277&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;Free&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.baps.org/Introduction/Introduction.htm&quot;&gt; Everyday worship 11:30 AM Aarti.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago's Central Synagogue&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;15 W Delaware Place&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-0450 &quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://centralchicago.org/&quot;&gt; Conservative Judaism. Shabbat services Sa 9:15AM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Loop Synagogue&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Madison/Wabash Brown/Purple/Green/Orange/Pink Line&quot; address=&quot;16 S Clark St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 346-7370&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagoloopsynagogue.org/index.asp&quot;&gt; Traditional Judaism. Shachris Sa 9AM, Su 9:30AM; Mincha Sa 3:45PM, Su 4:15PM, M-F 1:05PM; Maariv 4:45PM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Chicago Sinai Congregation&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;15 W Delaware Pl&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 867-7000&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagosinai.org/&quot;&gt; Liberal Reform Judaism. Torah study Sa 10:30AM; Shabbat Eve service F 6:15PM, Sunday service 11AM.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Downtown Islamic Center&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Jackson Red Line&quot; address=&quot;231 S State St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 939-9095&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://dic-chicago.org/&quot;&gt; Open M-F 10:30AM-5:30PM. Friday prayers: Khutba 1:05PM / Aqama 1:30PM (1st Friday Jamaa), Khutba 2:05PM / Aqama 2:30PM (2nd Friday Jamaa).&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10915 Lemont Rd, Lemont, IL&quot; phone=&quot;+1 630 972-0300&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;M-F 10AM-8PM&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://htgc.org/test/index.php?option=com_frontpage&amp;Itemid=1&quot;&gt; 25 miles southwest of Chicago. Call temple to schedule priest services.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Holy Name Cathedral&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;735 N State St&quot; phone=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;Open for private prayer or reflection from 5:30AM-7PM&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://holynamecathedral.org/&quot;&gt; Flagship of the Catholic Archdiocese in Chicago. Sunday Masses at 7:00, 8:15, 9:30 (incl. sign language), 11:00 AM, and 12:30, 5:15 PM. See website for Saturday, weekdays, and Holy Days schedules, as well as other sacraments.&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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* &lt;listing name=&quot;Saint James Cathedral&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;Chicago Red Line&quot; address=&quot;65 E Huron St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-7360&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;http://saintjamescathedral.org/&quot;&gt; Episcopalian services. Office hours M-F 9AM-4PM. Eucharist Su 8AM,10:30AM, W 5:30PM, Th,F 12:10PM&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
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&lt;!--WEB-START--&gt;<br />
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===Foreign consulates===<br />
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Here's a quick list of foreign consulates in Chicago:<br />
{| <br />
|-<br />
| style=&quot;vertical-align:top;width:50%;&quot; |<br />
* [[Image:ar-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Argentina &quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave, #4208/9&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 819-2610&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 819-2604 url=&quot;http://embassyofargentina.us/espanol/consuladosargentinoseneeuu/consuladosargentinoseneeuuchicago.htm&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;hrgcchic@aol.com&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 819-2612&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:as-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Australia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;123 N Wacker Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 419-1480&quot; email=&quot;chicago@dfat.gov.au&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 419-1499&quot; url=&quot;http://usa.embassy.gov.au/whwh/ChicagoCG.html&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:au-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Austria&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 222-1516&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:bf-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bahamas&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;8600 W Bryn Mawr Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 693-1500&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:be-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Belgium (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1703 N Randall Rd, Elgin&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 214-4670&quot; email=&quot;paulvanhalteren@sbcglobal.net&quot; fax=&quot;+1 847 787-5486&quot; url=&quot;http://diplobel.us/Representatives/Find_Consul.asp&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:bl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bolivia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1111 Superior St, #309&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 343-1234&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Melrose Park]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:bk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;151 E Chicago Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 951-1245&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:br-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Brazil&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;401 N Michigan Ave, #1850&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 464-0244&quot; email=&quot;central@brazilconsulatechicago.org&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 464-0299&quot; url=&quot;http://portalconsular.mre.gov.br/clientes/portalconsular/portalconsular/mundo/america-do-norte/estados-unidos-da-america/chicago&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:bu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Bulgaria&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #2105&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 867-1904&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ca-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Canada&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;Two Prudential Plaza, 180 N Stetson Ave, #2400&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 616-1860&quot; url=&quot;http://canadainternational.gc.ca/chicago/index.aspx?lang=eng&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;chcgo@international.gc.ca&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 616-1878&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ci-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Chile&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #3352&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 654-8780&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ch-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;China&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;100 E Erie St, #500&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 803-0095&quot; url=&quot;http://chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:co-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Colombia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 923-1196&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:cs-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Costa Rica&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;203 N Wabash Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 263-2772&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:hr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Croatia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #1030&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 482-9902&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ez-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Czech Republic&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 861-1037&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:da-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Denmark&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave Ste 3950&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-8780&quot; email=&quot;ordhkt@um.dk&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 787-8744&quot; url=&quot;http://gkchicago.um.dk/en&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:dr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Dominican Republic&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;3228 W N Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 236-2447&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ec-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ecuador&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;30 S Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 338-1002&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:eg-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Egypt&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave, #1900&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 828-9162&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:es-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;El Salvador&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;104 S Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 332-1393&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:en-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Estonia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;410 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 595-2527&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:fi-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Finland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;362 E Burlington St, #2&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 442-0635&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Riverside]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:fr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;France&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 787-5359&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Germany&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;676 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 202-0480&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gr-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Greece&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;650 N Saint Clair St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 335-3915&quot; email=&quot;chicago@greekembassy.org&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 335-3958&quot; url=&quot;http://mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/AuthoritiesAbroad/North+America/USA/GeneralConsulateChicago/en-US/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:gt-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Guatemala&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;205 N Michigan Ave #2350&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+ 1 312 332 1587&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:ha-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Haiti&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;220 S State St, #2110&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 922-4004&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ho-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Honduras&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4506 W Fullerton Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 342-8281&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:hu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Hungary&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-4079&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:in-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;India&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;455 N Cityfront Plaza Dr, NBC Tower Bldg Ste 850&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 595-0405&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 595-0409&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.indianconsulate.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:id-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Indonesia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;211 W Wacker Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 920-1880&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ei-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ireland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 337-1868&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 337-1954 &quot; url=&quot;http://irishconsulate.org&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:is-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Israel&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;111 E Wacker Dr, #1308&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 297-4800&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:it-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Italy&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;500 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 467-1550&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:jm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Jamaica&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;4655 S Martin Luther King Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 373-8988&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
| style=&quot;vertical-align:top;width:50%;&quot; |<br />
* [[Image:ja-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Japan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #1100&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 280-0430&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:jo-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Jordan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;12559 S Holiday Dr&quot; phone=&quot;+1 708 272-6666&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; ([[Alsip]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ks-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Republic of Korea&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;455 N Cityfront Plaza Dr, #2700&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 822-0443&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lg-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Latvia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;3239 Arnold Ln&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 498-6880&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Northbrook]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lh-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Lithuania&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;211 E Ontario St, #1500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 397-0382&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:lu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Luxembourg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1417 Braeborn Ct&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 520-5995&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;([[Wheeling (Illinois)|Wheeling]])&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:my-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Malaysia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #4101&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 280-9632&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:mx-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Mexico&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;204 S Ashland Ave&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 738-2531&quot; url=&quot;http://consulmexchicago.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:FlagOfMontenegro.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Montenegro&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;201 E Ohio St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-6707&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:np-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Nepal&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;100 W Monroe St, #500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 263-1250&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:nl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Netherlands&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;303 E Wacker Dr Ste 2600&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 856-0110&quot; tollfree=&quot;+1 877-DUTCHHELP&quot; email=&quot;chi@minbuza.nl&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 856-9218&quot; url=&quot;http://chicago.the-netherlands.org/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:nz-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;New Zealand (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;8600 W Bryn Mawr Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 714-9461&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 773 714-9483&quot; url=&quot;http://nzembassy.com/united-states-of-america/about-the-embassy/contact-us/nz-honorary-consuls&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:no-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Norway&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;900 Lively Blvd&quot; phone=&quot;+1 847 364-7374&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt; ([[Elk Grove]])&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Pakistan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;333 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 781-1831&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pm-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Panama&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;9048 S Commercial Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 933-0395&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:rp-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Philippines&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;30 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 332-6458&quot; email=&quot;chicagopcg@sbcglobal.net&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 332-3657&quot; url=&quot;http://chicagopcg.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pe-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Peru&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Michigan Ave, #1800&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 782-1599&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:pl-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Poland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;820 N Orleans St, #335&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 337-8166&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:po-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Portugal (Honorary)&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;1955 N New England Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 773 889-7405&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 493-2433&quot; url=&quot;http://un.int/portugal/visainfo.htm&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ro-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Romania&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 573-1315&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:Flag_of_Serbia_(state).png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Serbia&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;201 E Ohio St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 670-6707&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sn-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Singapore&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10 South Dearborn St, #4800&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 853-7555&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sf-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;South Africa&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;200 S Michigan Ave, #600&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 939-7929&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 939-2588&quot; url=&quot;http://sachicago.pwpsystems.com/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sp-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Spain&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Michigan Ave, #1500&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 782-4588&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sw-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Sweden&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;150 N Michigan Ave, #1951&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 781-6262&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:sz-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Switzerland&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;737 N Michigan Ave, #2301&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 915-0061&quot; phoneextra=&quot;+1 312 915-0061&quot; email=&quot;chi.vertretung@eda.admin.ch&quot; fax=&quot;+1 312 915-0388&quot; url=&quot;http://eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/nameri/vusa/chicon.html&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:tw-flag.PNG|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Taiwan&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;180 N Stetson Ave&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 616-0100&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:th-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Thailand&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;700 N Rush St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 644-3129&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:tu-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Turkey&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;360 N Michigan Ave, #1405&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 621-3340&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:up-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Ukraine&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;10 E Huron St&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 642-3129&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:uk-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;United Kingdom&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;400 N Michigan Ave, #1300&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 970-3800&quot; url=&quot;http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/other-locations/chicago/&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot; lat=&quot;&quot; long=&quot;&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt; <br />
* [[Image:uy-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Uruguay&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;875 N Michigan Ave, #1422&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 642-3430&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
* [[Image:ve-flag.png|20px]] &lt;listing name=&quot;Venezuela&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; directions=&quot;&quot; address=&quot;20 N Wacker Dr, #750&quot; phone=&quot;+1 312 236-9655&quot; email=&quot;&quot; fax=&quot;&quot; url=&quot;&quot; hours=&quot;&quot; price=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/listing&gt;<br />
|}<br />
<br />
&lt;!--WEB-END--&gt;<br />
<br />
==Get out==<br />
===Illinois===<br />
* There are forest preserves in the far north, northwest, and southwest sides, and into the nearby [[Chicagoland]] suburbs. They are excellent for biking, jogging, and picnics.<br />
<br />
* [[Evanston]] is over the northern border of Chicago, approximately 45 minutes from downtown on the CTA, or half an hour via car (during light traffic). It has shops, restaurants, bars and Northwestern University, as well as some historic homes and lovely lakefront. Just beyond that is [[Wilmette]], with the fascinating '''Baha'i Temple'''.<br />
<br />
* [[Chicagoland#Lake_County|Ravinia]] is the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Metra's UP-North line stops at the park gates, and the return train waits for late-ending concerts. The arts and crafts style architecture coupled with a dazzling array of acts make this a classic summer destination for Chicagoans and tourists. Bring food, a blanket, wine, and a citronella candle; buy anything you forgot on-site.<br />
<br />
* [[Brookfield (Illinois)|Brookfield]] is home to the Chicagoland area's other world-class zoo, the '''Brookfield Zoo'''.<br />
<br />
* Historic [[Galena (Illinois)|Galena]], three hours west-northwest of Chicago via I-90 and US-20, is great for hiking, sightseeing, and antiquing.<br />
<br />
* '''Six Flags Great America''', in [[Gurnee]] (40 miles north on I-94), has the biggest and wildest roller coasters in Illinois.<br />
<br />
* [[Peoria (Illinois)|Peoria]], in some ways a miniature Chicago, is a little over three hours away.<br />
<br />
* The [[Quad Cities]] — about 2.5&amp;ndash;3 hours away via I-55 to I-80 or I-90 to I-74 — bridge the Mississippi River forming a unique metropolitan area on the border of [[Iowa]] and Illinois.<br />
<br />
===Indiana===<br />
<br />
* The [[Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore|Indiana Dunes]] are a moderate drive away, and are also accessible via the South Shore commuter rail. If you've enjoyed the beaches in Chicago, you owe the Indiana Dunes a stop — that's where all the sand came from.<br />
<br />
* [[Gary]] is just over the border on the Skyway, with a skyline that rivals Chicago's for strength of effect — industrial monstrosity, in this case — with casinos, urban ruins, and a few entries by Prairie School architects Frank Lloyd Wright and George Maher.<br />
<br />
* Also just over the Skyway (before you reach Gary) is [[East Chicago|East Chicago's]] bizarre 19th century planned community, '''Marktown''', which looks like a small [[England|English]] village totally incongruous with the gigantic steel mills and the world's largest oil refinery which surround it.<br />
<br />
===Michigan===<br />
<br />
* Further along the lake from the Indiana Dunes are Michigan's dunes and summer resorts in [[Harbor Country]]. Keep your eyes open: Mayor Daley, University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer, and other notables summer here.<br />
<br />
* [[Detroit]] has many of Chicago's most hated sports rivals, and although fallen on hard times, it also has a musical and architectural heritage to compare with the Windy City.<br />
<br />
===Wisconsin===<br />
<br />
* [[Lake Geneva (Wisconsin)|Lake Geneva]], across the [[Wisconsin]] border, is the other big summer getaway. Nearby are the Kettle Moraine state parks, with good mountain biking.<br />
<br />
* [[Madison (Wisconsin)|Madison]] is located about two and half hours from Chicago on I-90 and via Van Galder buses. It is a vibrant city home to the giant University of Wisconsin and is known for its lively downtown, thriving culture, and beautiful scenery.<br />
<br />
* [[Milwaukee]] and its venerable breweries are less than two hours from Chicago on I-94, via Amtrak, and by intercity bus services.<br />
<br />
* [[Spring Green]] is an easy weekend trip from Chicago, about three and a half hours from town on I-90. It's the home of two unique architectural wonders: Frank Lloyd Wright's magnificent estate '''Taliesin''', and Alex Jordan's mysterious museum '''The House on the Rock'''.<br />
<br />
* The [[Wisconsin_Dells|Wisconsin Dells]] are another (wet) summer fun destination, just three hours north of the city by car (I-90/94), also accessible by Amtrak train.<br />
<br />
*[[Cedarburg]] is a popular festival town with a charming downtown featured on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located 20 miles north of downtown Milwaukee. Take 1-94 to Milwaukee and continue north on I-43.<br />
<br />
&lt;!--WEB-START--&gt;<br />
<br />
{{routebox<br />
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| directionl1=N<br />
| majorl1=END<br />
| minorl1=<br />
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| majorr1=[[Bloomington-Normal]]<br />
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| image2=I-57.png<br />
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{{related|Chicago_skyline_guide}}<br />
{{related|Along_the_Magnificent_Mile}}<br />
{{related|Loop_Art_Tour}}<br />
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[[WikiPedia:Chicago, Illinois]]<br />
[[wts:category:Chicago]]<br />
[[Dmoz:North_America/United_States/Illinois/Localities/C/Chicago/]]<br />
[[wikevent:Chicago]]<br />
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{{geo|41.8756|-87.6276}}<br />
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&lt;!--WEB-END--&gt;</div>132.160.54.160http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Talk:Chicago&diff=1643223Talk:Chicago2011-03-14T03:58:24Z<p>132.160.54.160: /* Lead needs more color */</p>
<hr />
<div>{| cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; style=&quot;height:100%;width:75%;&quot;<br />
| align=&quot;left&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot; colspan=&quot;3&quot; style=&quot;padding:7px 7px 7px 7px;background-color:#fcf0f4;&quot; |<br />
&lt;div style=&quot;margin:0;background:#f7d4e0;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:100%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #de8ca7;text-align:center;color:#000;padding-left:0.4em;padding-top:0.2em;padding-bottom:0.2em;&quot;&gt;&lt;big&gt;&lt;big&gt;&lt;big&gt;'''How to help the Wikitravel Chicago project'''&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/div&gt;<br />
<br />
The Chicago article is a showcase for Wikitravel. The coverage is extensive, perhaps more so than for any other city. Updating and refining existing content is still needed, but before adding new content check that the information is not already in the article, and that there aren't already some examples of what you are adding. We want to avoid a guide that is too bloated or crowded, and we don't need to list ''every'' hotel, bar or restaurant to have a excellent guide. In addition the maps are so '''saturated''' that it may be difficult to add further listings to them.<br />
<br />
If you are seeking to help, check the '''[[Talk:Chicago#To Do List|to do list]]'''. We need help to '''keep information current''', so if you have current knowledge of a section of town, please scan the appropriate district article for '''out of date information''', e.g., listings for businesses that have closed, outdated contact information, CTA station closures, etc.<br />
<br />
If there is something important that is omitted, feel free to raise it on the discussion page, if you have found a hidden gem in your Chicago travels, let us know about it.<br />
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But above all, please do [[Wikitravel:Plunge forward|join the effort]] to keep this the best travel guide to Chicago there ever was.<br />
|}<br />
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==Archives==<br />
* [[Talk:Chicago/Archives 2008-09]]<br />
* [[Talk:Chicago/Archives 2003-07]]<br />
* [[Talk:Chicago/Districts discussion]]<br />
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==To Do List==<br />
Here's what I think we need:<br />
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* '''Itineraries''' for districts outside the city center<br />
* Improved coverage of [[Chicago/Far West Side|Little Village]] shopping<br />
* Improved coverage of &quot;do&quot; activities in the [[Chicago/Southwest Side|Southwest Side]]<br />
<br />
===Suburbs===<br />
Many suburbs are covered on the [[Chicagoland]] page and have only one attraction of note. However, there are a few that deserve fuller coverage as a complement to the Chicago set of articles, and need work accordingly. Post 'em here (but only if you're willing to work on them).<br />
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* [[Evanston]]<br />
* [[Oak Park]]<br />
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Last updated by [[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 04:04, 20 May 2009 (EDT)<br />
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==Article status==<br />
* Stars (18): [[Chicago/Bronzeville]], [[Chicago/Hyde Park]], [[Chicago/Near South]], [[Chicago skyline guide]], [[Chicago/Near North]], [[Chicago/Bridgeport-Chinatown]], [[Along the Magnificent Mile]], [[Chicago/Uptown]], [[Chicago/Pilsen]], [[Loop Art Tour]], [[Chicago]], [[Chicago/Wicker Park]], [[Chicago/Loop]], [[Chicago/North Lincoln]], [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town]], [[Chicago/Chatham-South Shore]], [[Chicago/Lakeview-North Center]], [[Chicago/Southwest Side]]<br />
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* Guides (8): [[Chicago/Far Southwest Side]], [[Chicago/Far Southeast Side]], [[Chicago/Rogers Park]], [[Chicago/Near West Side]], [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side]], [[Chicago/Far West Side]], [[Chicago/Logan-Bucktown]], [[O'Hare International Airport]]<br />
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== lead ==<br />
<br />
Re: [http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago&amp;diff=next&amp;oldid=1340783], my guess is that the IP thought that the word &quot;idea&quot; was a little bland after using such evocative phrases as &quot;truth of jazz&quot; and &quot;heart of comedy&quot;. (But at least it keeps the parallel construction, so I agree that it's better than having nothing there at all.) Is there a loftier noun that could be used to describe the skyscrapers? Engage a pun by saying &quot;height of architecture&quot; or something like that?<br />
<br />
(On a related note, the lack of a descriptor before &quot;blues&quot; also rubs me the wrong way as it sounds clunky when it's followed by those &quot;___ of ___&quot; constructions.)<br />
<br />
-- [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 08:37, 5 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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:It's the ''home'' of the blues? That's actually the adage from which the following metaphors are inspired. <br />
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:I rather like &quot;idea,&quot; and Marc's nicely built some continuity with that phrase [[Chicago_skyline_guide#Under_construction|elsewhere in the guide]]. If I were going to try and find fault with one of the descriptors, it would be &quot;truth,&quot; but I think we should resist the urge to wikittack the few turns of phrases on site that aspire to &quot;speak above a whisper.&quot; It's extremely easy to do, but I don't think we'll benefit from it. (Lest I be misunderstood, I'm not at all pointing fingers, just making a point.) --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 14:49, 5 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
::I was reading it as &quot;is the home of the blues and [the home of] the truth of jazz&quot; rather than &quot;is the home of the blues and [is] the truth of jazz.&quot; Honestly, I don't even know what the latter would mean. =) As for &quot;idea&quot;, it's fine if you like it; it just strikes me as more pedestrian than the abstractions that precede it. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 15:47, 5 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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== Summer ==<br />
<br />
Chicago's summers are not disgustingly hot. They are hot and humid at times. &quot;Disgustingly hot&quot; would be more identifiable with Phoenix, or pretty much any South Texas city or South Florida city, like Houston and Miami. I have been in Chicago in the summer when it was just 81 degrees, and I have been there when it was 91. But every day or every summer in Chicago is not like that, so by definition that does not make their summer's disgustingly hot. Phoenix, Miami, and Houston, however, ARE like that every day of the summer for every year. Therefore, their articles should have the term &quot;disgustingly hot&quot;. This needs to be changed. {{unsigned|66.192.176.30}}<br />
<br />
:I'm inclined to agree that it ''should'' be changed. The lake keeps things pretty nice for [[Washington, D.C.|people]] used to far worse summers. The fact that swimming is a good cool off option makes it all the more an appealing part of the year from my perspective. (I can't believe, btw, that you are still pushing that taxi madness&amp;mdash;you need to explore the city a bit more, my friend.) --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 21:39, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
::The fact that this anonymous user keeps trying to insert false and frankly dangerous information about taxis casts aspersions over the worth of everything else he or she has to say. Nevertheless, while this article need not be married to the term &quot;disgustingly hot&quot; if there's a better descriptive, there is more to climate than 'degrees' &amp;mdash; the reason all the old folks go to Phoenix is because it's a dry heat, cool in the shade, low humidity. And the argument that Chicago can't be called hot because other cities are hotter is absurd. If that's true, why would we describe Miami as hot when Mexico City is so much hotter? Why would we describe Mexico City as hot when Vientiane is so much hotter? Answer: because the articles are independent of each other. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:13, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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:::It should also be noted that the anonymous user has employed inaccurate terms above &amp;mdash; the article does not say that &quot;Chicago's summers are disgustingly hot.&quot; It says that &quot;Many days in July and August are disgustingly hot.&quot; So the anonymous user has built an argument on a false premise and is arguing against a phrasing that does not actually exist. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:21, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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::::Hmm, you are correct as usual. I'm tempted to add a little non-weather-related plug for the summer in that section, though. Summer, especially late summer, is the one time of the year when I feel unambivalently happier to be in Chicago than anywhere else in the world. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 23:48, 12 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
First of all, I never insert false information. If you walk away with nothing else, at least walk away with that. I did not say Chicago cannot be called hot in summer. It can be called &quot;hot and humid at times in the summer&quot;, that phrasing would be better. I said it shouldn't be called &quot;disgustingly hot&quot; because if you use that term, you have nowhere else to go when describing the summers of cities like Phoenix, Houston or Miami, which are actually &quot;disgustingly hot&quot; in the summer (dry heat or not for Phoenix). <br />
<br />
And as far as the taxi situation, ok here we go: The article states &quot;outside of the downtown, North Side, Near West, and Near South sides you will likely have greater difficulty hailing a taxi directly from the street&quot;. Well look at a map of the city of Chicago. All those aforementioned areas added together constitute roughly half of the city's land area! Then add to that several upper-class and middle-class neighborhoods on the South Side and Southwest like Hyde Park, Kenwood, Chatham, and Beverly, to name a few, where hailing taxis are easy too. Plus the upper and middle class sections of the Northwest Side and you technically have covered almost the entire city. Now of course, there will be several lower class areas where taxis ''themselves'' may not be as numerous in numbers, but when they do ride through the streets of those lower class areas, they still will sometimes stop if hailed. This is no different than New York City where taxis can be hailed, and are more numerous in Manhattan but less so in the Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island. New York City's article doesn't state &quot;outside of Manhattan taxis may be more difficult to hail from the street&quot;, so there should be no reason Chicago's article should have wording stating its difficult to hail a cab outside what really is a large portion of Chicago. In fact, it may be easier to hail a cab in the entire city of Chicago versus the entire city of New York because taxis are freely hailed in about half of Chicago's land area, and in New York City taxis concentrate on Manhattan only, which is not half of New York City's land area. Chicago, New York City, and Washington D.C. are considered American cities where taxis can be hailed from the street. Sorry for the long reply, but you asked.<br />
<br />
:As usual, your arguments seem irreconcilable with reality as I understand it. I've made a map of the city (about 30, actually), you can view it [[Chicago#Districts|here]]. What you are calling roughly half the city is actually less than a tenth of it... And did you miss my story on your talk page? To recap: ''taxis won't come pick you up '''even if you call''' in vast portions of the city!'' It has nothing to do with the &quot;class&quot; of the neighborhood, it's just a matter of fact that you won't see a taxi drive by in most of the city outside the center, even waiting half an hour on a main thoroughfare. And yes, that goes for Hyde Park and Beverly too. I'm really bewildered that you are still pushing this, and that you continue to [[Wikitravel:Edit war|edit war]] to try and reinsert it. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 22:44, 27 January 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
:: Indeed, it's wildly inaccurate to claim those areas constitute half or even a quarter of the city, which calls into question the writer's basic familiarity with the city. And, once again, there are presently no plans to describe Miami's weather in the Chicago article, just as there are no plans to describe [[Jakarta]]'s weather in the Miami article, which would require us to describe Miami's weather as mild. The terminology has no relationship. I fully expect that a complete New York article would say that city has the best pizza in the nation. So does this one. Doesn't matter. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:45, 27 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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If you are looking at your Chicago maps correctly, you will see that the downtown area, the North Side, Near West, and Near South sides added together do not constitute just a tenth of the city's land area. The Near North Side and the North Side stretch from Division all the way to the Howard border at the city's northern limits with Evanston. The Near South Side would go as far south as 35th Street and the Near West Side as far west as Western Ave. That entire land mass added together is not just a tenth of Chicago. Look again. An area that large doesn't deserve the terminology &quot;outside the downtown, North Side, Near West, and Near South sides you may find it difficult to hail a cab&quot; because, although that may be true, you are giving the reader an inaccurate perception of hailing cabs off the streets of Chicago. It is not hard to do; anyone in Chicago will tell you that. Look at it this way: New York City's article -doesn't- state &quot;outside of Manhattan (or perhaps some areas of Brooklyn) you may find it difficult to hail a taxi off the street&quot;, although that statement is true. People who live in the Bronx, Staten Island, or Queens find it more difficult hailing a taxi off the streets than people in Manhattan. So if you want to keep that terminology in Chicago's article, New York's article should have the same terminology. If you didn't find it necessary to state it's harder to hail a cab off the streets in the Bronx, Staten Island, or Queens versus Manhattan, there was no need to put that type of terminology in Chicago's article when referring to the South or West Sides. Keep it consistent.<br />
<br />
:Good gracious man, that map is labeled. You can click on any of the individual district articles to view the district maps, and thus see that what you are stating is the opposite of what is fact. This discussion is surreal.<br />
<br />
:With regards to taxis, my inclination is to think that you haven't really spent ''any'' time in the areas you are talking about. You are just as likely to be able to hail a cab in Chatham (as you assert) as you are to find MLK Jr. Highway in NYC (as you invented). Statements like &quot;several upper-class and middle-class neighborhoods on the South Side and Southwest like Hyde Park, Kenwood, Chatham, and Beverly, to name a few, where hailing taxis are easy too&quot; make it very clear to me that you are making assertions about areas you know next to nothing about, and likely have never been to. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:21, 28 January 2010 (EST)<br />
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Point blank. It is not hard to hail a taxi off the streets of Chicago. In most American cities, you must call a taxi to come pick you up. Chicago and New York City are exceptions to that rule. But both cities have areas where it's easier to hail a cab and areas where it may be somewhat more difficult yet not impossible to hail a cab off the street. For Chicago, the easier areas are downtown, North Side, Near South, and Near West Sides. The harder areas in Chicago may be the West Side, and some parts of the South Side. In New York City, the easier area is Manhattan. The harder areas are the Bronx, Staten Island, and parts of Brooklyn and Queens. So if they both are comparable in that regard, my arguement is that when you read the Chicago article it gives the reader the impression that it's virtually impossible outside a small area, whereas the New York article doesn't give that impression, yet the same is true for both cities. That's what I'm saying.<br />
<br />
: I don't know why you persist in thinking the New York article is a model for this one, since that article is (generously) at 'usable' status, two levels ''below'' this one. (Also, nobody from Chicago gives a crap how New York does anything.) Nevertheless, I have 25 years of experience of not being able to hail a taxi off the street up by Howard Street or anywhere in the vicinity of it. So you're objectively wrong. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]]<br />
<br />
== Lede (again) ==<br />
<br />
I found the lede to this article to be misleading. Chicago is not the birthplace of jazz and the blues; those are from the South. Moreover, the local music scene isn't really the most important thing to the city's identity. My suggested rewrite was reverted; no particular objection to the content was specified. It is reproduced below. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 01:08, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
----<br />
:'''Chicago''' [http://choosechicago.com/] is the hub of the American [[Midwest (United States of America)|Midwest]], its identity partly formed as a gateway to the agricultural heartland of the country, and partly as a teeming metropolis of cultural expression and innovation. Economically, it has thrived as a central North American transportation nexus, whether in the age of ships, railroads, or airplanes.<br />
<br />
:The city is easy to find &amp;mdash; its picturesque [[Chicago skyline guide|skyline]] calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and [[Loop Art Tour|public art]], and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world. <br />
<br />
:Culturally, Chicago has become the adopted home of jazz and the blues, and a center of comedy and theater. It has shopping of an international caliber, while maintaining a local flair in architecture and food. The hustle and bustle of big city life have barely put a dent in real Midwestern friendliness.<br />
----<br />
<br />
What's a lede?--[[User:Burmesedays|Burmesedays]] 01:15, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:: Read back to the discussion above. Apparently the argument goes that &quot;home of&quot; does not equate to the &quot;birthplace of&quot;. Apparently ''the blues'', like a petulant teenager, has found its true home distant from its birth. --[[User:Inas|inas]] 01:26, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
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<br />
: That's... pretty boring, overall. The current version is interesting to read, whereas &quot;teeming metropolis of cultural expression and innovation&quot; feels like a jumble of buzzwords saying nothing about Chicago in particular. — [[User:Dguillaime|D. Guillaime]] 01:33, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
<br />
:::[[:wikipedia:wikt:lede#English]] defines &quot;lede&quot;. It's a variant spelling of &quot;lead&quot; that is used only to refer to the opening section of a written work, like an encyclopedia article or a news article. And yes, I reverted Beland's contribution because it was '''dry and encyclopedic''' instead of '''lively travel writing'''. And because this is a star article, and reached star status with its current lede, I felt that any changes to the lede ought to be discussed here first, especially when they change the [[Wikitravel:Tone|Tone]] so much. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 08:57, 18 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
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::::OK, here's another try, avoiding misleading claims (not the birthplace of jazz and the blues, meat packing is no longer a big industry) while trying to keep a livlier style. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 13:39, 19 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
As the hub of the [[Midwest (United States of America)|Midwest]], '''Chicago''' [http://choosechicago.com/] is easy to find &amp;mdash; its picturesque [[Chicago skyline guide|skyline]] calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and [[Loop Art Tour|public art]], and perhaps the finest downtown collection of historic and modern architecture in the world. Here, the age of railroads found its center and spawned a huge meatpacking industry; in more recent decades, airplanes have swooped in to connect the city to the world and carry its faith in social progress. <br />
<br />
Known for its blues, jazz, comedy, theater, shopping, and fine dining, the hustle and bustle of life in America's &quot;Second City&quot; (a title now contested with Los Angeles) have barely put a dent in its genuine Midwestern friendliness.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
:::::I'm a little confused regarding what exactly is &quot;misleding.&quot; The article neither claims Chicago is the birthplace of jazz or blues, nor that meat packing is currently a major industry. <br />
<br />
:::::Marc's version is one of the most dynamic intros we have on the site—it's about the last one I think would be worth much effort tinkering with, when there are so many lifeless &quot;X is in Y&quot; bits floating around. It's possible to quibble endlessly about originality in writing, especially in a collaborative wiki environment. But I think we should resist the urge to [[tone|eye]] &quot;the neck of any author who dares to speak above a whisper or write above a nursery rhyme,&quot; and instead focus on improving the vast quantities of legitimately poor writing on the site. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 14:01, 19 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:Well, as a tourist visiting Chicago, I read that lede and I interpreted it as saying that Chicago was the birthplace of jazz and the blues. I had to do my own research before I was certain this was factually incorrect. I don't think this travel guide should sacrifice factual accuracy in the name of being &quot;dynamic&quot;. I tried to fix only that part of the intro, but that change was also reverted. It was requested that I discuss the issue here, so that's what I'm doing. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 14:30, 20 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::I just don't see what's misleading about calling it the Home of the Blues (and actually, it says nothing about it being the home, much less the birthplace of jazz). It's not a Wikitravel coinage—it's a ''well-known city slogan''. And regardless, if I say I'm going &quot;home,&quot; I mean to my house, not to a hospital in New York. Further down the article at [[Chicago#Jazz and blues]], the process by which the blues came to live in Chicago is explained.<br />
<br />
::And you're most certainly not doing anything wrong in discussing it here. I just disagree with you ;) --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 18:19, 20 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::Well, I was personally misled, because I thought the article was claiming that Chicago was the birthplace of the blues and jazz. I'm sure it reads differently to people who live in Chicago vs. those who don't know anything about it. If it's a well-known city slogan, the article should make that clear to people who have never heard it, as in &quot;Chicago calls itself 'The Home of the Blues'&quot;. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 15:12, 24 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
::::Sometimes clarity and poetry are mutually exclusive. The minor negative effects of a misunderstanding (one which, frankly, I don't expect a large number of people to have) are not worth disrupting the flow of the lede, IMO. Is it really a big deal if you were momentarily confused about the true birthplace of the blues? The rest of the article makes it clear that the blues migrated from the South along with several other cultural elements. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 18:47, 24 May 2010 (EDT)<br />
:::::I stopped reading before I got to the full explanation, and so walked away from the article with the wrong impression. Isn't the whole point of Wikitravel to give people accurate information about the places they visit? After having a discussion on the road, I concluded that this article was simply wrong, which undermines the site's credibility. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 19:52, 23 June 2010 (EDT)<br />
::::::Sorry, but that's your mistake, not the article's. Home ≠ birthplace. If it did, we'd all live in hospitals. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 20:04, 23 June 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Hyperbole in the lead ==<br />
<br />
The lead sounds like it was written by the Chicago Tourism Bureau. It is not the &quot;home of the blues,&quot; only electric or Chicago-style blues. I don't know what &quot;the truth of jazz&quot; means. New York has a stronger association with skyscrapers. It's midwestern friendliness is noted, so no need to insult other cities as surly in the next sentence. The first sentence should note that Chicago is the third biggest city in America and the capital of the midwest. The features of the city should be noted without sounding so cheesy. Hyperbole destroys an articles credibility. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:67.52.80.198|67.52.80.198]] ([[User_talk:67.52.80.198|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/67.52.80.198|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
:Yeah, and dry encyclopedic writing destroys an article's readability. I agree that &quot;the truth of jazz&quot; is a pretty meaningless phrase, but it sounds good and fits with what you'd find in any good travel article. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 13:30, 26 July 2010 (EDT)<br />
&quot;any good travel article&quot; doesn't need to exagerate to be colorful. Look at the articles for New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, or Berlin. They lead with the information a traveller would want, not meaningless praise. We can have a readable lead that people will like. There have been many changes, but the Chicago Tourism Bureau keeps changing it back.<br />
<br />
:FYI, a good half of the Chicago Tourism Bureau has moved to D.C., but does miss his 26th St style pizza at Connie's quite dearly. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:06, 15 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:: I just think it's a shame that the New York Tourism Bureau chooses to keep conducting itself like this. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 23:33, 15 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
You betray your bias. I was citing the other cities not to bring conflict, but to show that Chicago's lead is in no way typical. It is an off-putting, over-exciting lie. I'm sorry your &quot;book&quot; contains the hyperbole lead, but lets make this online article easier to read and use. We don't need Chicago-patriots screaming their cities praise. Travel is about putting prejudices aside. {{unsigned|67.52.80.198}}<br />
<br />
: There clearly isn't any [[Wikitravel:Consensus|consensus]] to tone down the lead, so I've reverted the latest changes until there is some agreement. While I'd tend to agree that the current lede does stray a bit into hyperbole, trimming it down to cold, boring facts is IMHO going too far in the opposite direction. [[Wikitravel:Tone]] encourages lively writing, so given the choice between the current version or a stark recitation of fact I'd prefer the status quo. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 17:35, 21 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:The other cities cited were at [[Wikitravel:Article status|guide status]], while this was the first huge city star article. Just for fun, lets quote the top of [[Wikitravel:Tone]] right here:<br />
<br />
:''Every dimwit editor who sees himself as the source of all dreary blanc-mange plain porridge unleavened literature, licks his guillotine and eyes the neck of any author who dares to speak above a whisper or write above a nursery rhyme. -Ray Bradbury''<br />
<br />
:--[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:42, 21 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:I agree. This whole article reads like a travel brochure. People don't go to wikitravel to be convinced to go to a place. They've already decided to go and want clear, no-nonsense information about everything city related. Great cities speak for themselves. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:207.229.139.182|207.229.139.182]] ([[User_talk:207.229.139.182|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/207.229.139.182|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
::Don't tell us what people come here for. I think everyone here would agree this may be the best article on the site. It is the article to which the rest of us aspire when writing our own articles. It has been turned into a book that has a perfect review score on Amazon and sells better than ''Frommer's Chicago'' and ''Chicago for Dummies''. We are writing travel guides both for people who want to know where to go and what to do, as well as people who already know where they're going and what they're doing. We cater to both markets; deal with it. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 11:49, 31 January 2011 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Willis / Sears Tower ==<br />
<br />
There have been numerous edits to the Chicago articles in the past year to change &quot;Sears Tower&quot; to &quot;Willis Tower&quot;, most of which have been reverted. At some point &quot;Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower)&quot; is going to be the most common name. If we aren't there yet, then &quot;Sears Tower (officially Willis Tower)&quot; might be a decent compromise that will stave off further well-meaning edits. I don't know Chicago well enough to know which is better, so can anyone provide some input so that those of us watching this article know what to do with edits to the tower's name? -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 10:52, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
:I think it is important to call it both &quot;Sears Tower&quot; for historical recognition and &quot;Willis Tower&quot; for the sake of being completely up-to-date (and for interesting trivia). I agree that &quot;Sears Tower (''officially Willis Tower'')&quot; accomplishes this perfectly. <br />
<br />
:The name appears many places throughout the Chicago pages though, most notably in [[Chicago#Architecture|Architecture]], [[Chicago_skyline_guide#Buildings|Buildings]], and [[Chicago/Loop#Visitor_centers|Skydeck]]. I would suggest noting the name change only in its first appearances on the Architecture and Buildings sections to avoid unnecessary confusion. By the time someone navigates to the Skydeck listing hopefully it will already be apparent to them. --[[User:Jtesla16|Jtesla16]] 11:48, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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::I suppose that's a reasonable compromise; the edits I made earlier today were merely to enforce what I saw as the existing consensus, that the building is still called the Sears Tower. I don't claim to be an expert. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 15:37, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::There is an [[Chicago#By_taxi|infobox]] explaining the name change in the main article, but I think it would be fine to put the parenthetical after the first mention in the architecture section, for anyone who is confused, and missed the infobox. It's anecdotal, of course, but I was talking about the Sears Tower today (comparing it to the height of the ridiculously high Burj Khalifa) with people who neither familiar with Chicago nor terribly interested in skyscrapers or architecture, and it never even crossed my mind or theirs to refer to it as anything else. <br />
<br />
:::I don't think that the Willis name is catching on, nor do I think it will, as the Sears Tower, unlike, say, Chicago's Standard Oil Building, is an icon with worldwide name recognition. Similarly, if the Eiffel Tower was whored out under corporate naming rights as the GazProm Tower, people would keep on calling it the Eiffel Tower. The notable exception, of course, is Wikipedia, where I'd say they are violating their own policies, by asserting without much evidential basis that Willis will become the more widespread usage. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 16:40, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::: [http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Chicago_skyline_guide&amp;curid=50986&amp;diff=1528022&amp;oldid=1489225 This edit to the Skyline guide], as well as one to the USA article, are actually what prompted the discussion, since I've seen such edits reverted and was curious whether we had an agreement on this. It sounds like the parenthetical is a decent compromise to ward off those trying to &quot;fix&quot; the name. As to &quot;Sears&quot; vs &quot;Willis&quot;, it sounds very similar to when San Francisco tried to claim that &quot;Candlestick Park&quot; was actually &quot;3Com Park&quot; or &quot;Monster.com Park&quot; - aside from the guys in the broadcast booth I can't recall ever hearing anyone utter the new names, and if they had the scorn directed in their direction would have been fast and heavy. It got to the point that in 2004 there was actually a ballot measure passed to prevent the city from trying to rename the park again. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 16:50, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:::::I'm not sure what policies Wikipedia is violating by calling their article [[:wikipedia:Willis Tower]]. They have [[:wikipedia:WP:COMMONNAME]], of course, but it's my opinion that the plainest reading of it doesn't necessarily mean &quot;what do most people on the street call it&quot;, especially for things that do have official names. Most of the most reliable sources -- such as news articles and official sources -- will call it the Willis Tower, so that's a perfectly reasonable name for the article's title. (Our purposes, of course, are different; in our case, we definitely should prefer what most people call the building, so that travelers can better find it.) [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 17:03, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
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:::::::I'd be happy to wager that most official sources and news articles still call it the Sears Tower. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 17:05, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::::::::I'm fine with 'Sears Tower (officially Willis Tower)' at the first mention. I spoke to a Chicago Architecture Foundation docent recently, and he said that they refer to it as the Sears Tower on their tours, but usually include a brief (and derisive) reference to Willis. As for Wikipedia, they had the name change in place the day the contract called for it, before any meaningful reading of [[:wikipedia:WP:COMMONNAME]] had been met. To be fair, though, it's obvious from their talk page that it was a small group of users who rammed it through, not the result of any consensus. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 18:38, 24 August 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Bus table==<br />
<br />
I'm moving this here for discussion &amp;mdash; I'm not sure we should devote this much space to bus transit between Chicago and a scant two cities. [[User:Gorilla Jones|Gorilla Jones]] 18:20, 26 September 2010 (EDT)<br />
<br />
A summary of bus fares to [[Milwaukee]] and [[Minneapolis]] frequencies and services including the lowest internet fare, the walk-up ticket price and how often the buses run:<br />
{| border=0 cellspacing=3 cellpadding=2<br />
|-<br />
!<br />
! |Milwaukee lowest<br />
! |Milwaukee walkup<br />
! |Milwaukee frequency<br />
! |Minneapolis lowest<br />
! |Minneapolis walkup<br />
! |Minneapolis frequency<br />
! |wifi<br />
! |110v outlets<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''''Amtrak²'''''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $22<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $22<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 7x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $56<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $56-$74<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ffcc&quot; | 1x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Greyhound'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $6<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $16<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 8x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $27<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $65<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 5x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Ind. Trails'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | ?<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | ?<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ffcc&quot; | 1x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Megabus'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $1<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99cccc&quot; | $20³<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;33ff99&quot; | 4x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $1<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ccffff&quot; | $24³<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;33ff99&quot; | 3-4x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;99ff33&quot; | Yes<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ffff66&quot; | Some<br />
|-<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;&quot; |'''Wisconsin'''<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $26<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;669999&quot; | $26<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;009966&quot; | 14x day<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;cccc99&quot; | <br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
| bgcolor=&quot;ff6666&quot; | No<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
''²Train. AAA, ISIC, SA, Senior (walk-up) discounts: Milwaukee $18, Minneapolis from $47.''<br />
''³Tickets must be purchased via internet or telephone($3 fee).''<br />
<br />
== Coyotes downtown? ==<br />
<br />
Not sure whether or where this might fit it in the article. Seemed worth posting, though:<br />
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/11/16/let-loose-the-coyotes-chicago-embraces-rat-hunting-predators/<br />
[[User:Pashley|Pashley]] 05:37, 25 November 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
:Heh, that article mentions &quot;nuisance problems, like mice, rats, and rabbits.&quot; Chicago does have an unusually large number of weird nocturnal urban bunnies, but I never thought of them as a nuisance. --[[User:Peterfitzgerald|Peter]] &lt;small&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_talk:Peterfitzgerald|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 11:27, 25 November 2010 (EST)<br />
<br />
== Lead needs more color ==<br />
<br />
The lead was so boring before. Everyone knows that blues and jazz are centered in Chicago, that people are super-friendly there unlike every other city that size, and that there is days weeks and months of stuff to see in Chicago.<br />
<br />
But there might be some foreigners reading this and we need to convince them to come to Chicago! We should add more color to the lead. I added some real colorful stuff. It's not all true, mind you, but color is more important than truth. Chicago!<br />
<br />
:&quot;Color&quot; is not more important than truth, and your edits were nothing but vandalism. Besides, if someone were to visit based on their love of &quot;pubic art&quot; and the &quot;ambiguous sexuality&quot; of Midwesterners and Subway Restaurant employees, they would likely be highly disappointed and they'd go home and tell their countrymen that Chicago is overrated and not worth the visit. [[User:ChubbyWimbus|ChubbyWimbus]] 04:24, 28 February 2011 (EST)<br />
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I agree that truth is more important than color. But legitimate concerns about the lead's bombastic claims were repeatedly brought up and shouted down by people who said &quot;we need color, your edits are boring.&quot; Some of the people round here think its dull writing if it doesn't have a bunch of meaningless color that isnt based on reality.<br />
<br />
Satire, not vandalism.<br />
<br />
We need to calm down the lead and bring it in line with the helpful, informativie, and interesting nature of the rest of this site. Not a &quot;Chicago is awesome&quot; banner. {{unsigned|132.160.54.207‎}}<br />
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: As the article's history and this talk page shows, this anonymous user is trolling; please revert any further contributions. While there are legitimate points to be made about the article being too promotional, feeding the trolls is counter-productive. -- [[User:Wrh2|Ryan]] &amp;bull; ([[User talk:Wrh2|talk]]) &amp;bull; 15:28, 28 February 2011 (EST)<br />
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Can we have a discussion about making the lead appealing and informative without being so grabby? With consensus, huh? &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.54.155|132.160.54.155]] ([[User_talk:132.160.54.155|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.54.155|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
:Sure. First, what do you mean by &quot;grabby&quot;? [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 09:49, 13 March 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
I think the lead is laying on the gravy a bit heavy. Let's have some biscuits. <br />
<br />
The first paragraph could be shorter. The last two sentences could be one. &quot;World-class luxury mingles with real Midwestern friendliness in a city that likes to swagger.&quot; How about that?<br />
<br />
We can replace the whole first paragraph with...<br />
<br />
&quot;Ready to laugh, cry, sing the blues and swagger through the third-biggest city in America? Chicago has been there for trains, planes, hog-butcherin', and skyscrapers. World-class luxury mingles with real Midwestern friendliness. Because around here, everything is done &quot;Chicago style!&quot;<br />
<br />
Or no? I wanna work with you guys. &lt;small&gt;—The [[Wikitravel:Using_talk_pages#Talk_page_formatting|preceding]] comment was added by [[User:132.160.43.101|132.160.43.101]] ([[User_talk:132.160.43.101|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/132.160.43.101|contribs]]) {{{2|}}}&lt;/small&gt;<br />
<br />
:It would help if you registered for an account; your IP address changes a lot and that makes it hard to contact you. Anyway, it's difficult to talk about changes to the lead without identifying what you feel is wrong with it. Is it just that it's too long? I don't think it is; we don't need to ramble, but the lead should be substantial enough to give the reader a good idea of what they'll find in the rest of the article. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] 21:25, 13 March 2011 (EDT)<br />
<br />
Ok, I'll think about this account thing. Bear in mind that I did &quot;hyperbole in the lead&quot; and this and that's it.<br />
<br />
You are right that the lead should be &quot;substantial enough to give the reader a good idea of what they'll find in the rest of the article.&quot; The rest of the article is very good, great even. Concise, complete, and with some helpful swagger in the writing too.<br />
<br />
The lead isn't concise. It is coming from too many places at once, like an Illinois twister. <br />
<br />
&quot;Chicago is where blues went eletric and jazz found its swing. Comedy and cuisine adapted and were adopted again by the rest of America from this skyscraper metropolise. Hogbutchering and moonshining are gone, but the Second City hasn't lost its downhome charm.&quot;<br />
<br />
That mentions blues, jazz, comedy, food (bbq, pizza, etc), skycrapers, The Jungle and gangsters, Second City, along with its downhome charm (I wanted to say swagger, but didn't).<br />
<br />
It cuts out some of the lesser-known references from the first paragraph, but will leave it stronger. Plus the &quot;downhome&quot; segways into the second paragraph.</div>132.160.54.160